The Fili and Kili Chronicles
by thepotterheadfrommiddleearth
Summary: Every body loves the Durin brothers. Funny, handy with weapons, and pretty good looking. So what were they like as dwarflings? Just a random collection of Fili/Kili stories that I've written involving them when they were younger. Chapter 1 co-written with my friend MagicJediElf. NO SLASH! DISCLAIMER: All characters mentioned are the sole property of J.R.R Tolkien
1. The Braid

Kili woke up with a start. He had just had a nightmare involving Smaug the Terrible carrying his beloved uncle Thorin off into the night while he slept.

But it was only a dream. He would never let that happen.

Somewhere in the distance, something howled. To Kili's ears, however, that wasn't just a howl- that was Smaug, coming to make off with his uncle. A shiver ran down his spine. Something had to be done. He had to do something, something to ensure that Smaug could never take Thorin away. What if he were to hide Thorin? No, Kili decided- Thorin was too big- and he smelt so bad that Smaug would find him anyway. What if he were to secure Thorin to something? Aha! But what could he secure him to? Himself? He couldn't hold on to Thorin- he needed both hands for his was no way he'd let a dragon take his uncle without a fight, but he wasn't going to just let Thorin sleep. He needed to tie them together- but how? They hadn't brought any rope- they were only going camping, after all.

And then it struck him. Just the other day, Bofur had taught him the braid. He needed to make a connection between Thorin and himself- he should just tie them together using their hair! He rolled over to face Thorin, who was still heavily asleep and snoring away. On his other side was Kili's brother, Fili. He repositioned himself over Thorin's head, his little fingers wiggling excitedly. With his chubby little hands, he began to nimbly braid their hair together. Kili's deep, chocolatey brown hair braided with Thorin's almost-black and grey-streaked hair. It hurt a little, but Kili didn't stop. Thorin's safety was more important. Two braids later, Kili was feeling very pleased with himself. Now Smaug could never separate them! He grabbed his trusty sword (a poorly sharpened twig) and sat, eagerly awaiting the fire drake.

Suddenly, Kili became aware of someone moving. Was it Smaug? Kili drew his sword. But no- it was... it was Thorin. His uncle was getting to his feet. Kili was about to protest when he felt an excruciating sensation at two points on his head- the bases of the braids. He felt himself lifting off the ground. Why couldn't his uncle feel him tied to his head- why wasn't he stopping? A small snore answered his question. Uh oh. His uncle was sleep walking.

Ouch. Fili woke up to a sharp pain in his side. Someone had just stepped on him. He was kind of used to that- he was one of the smallest dwarves in the company. Wait wait wait- was his mind playing tricks on him, or was that his 3 year old brother floating before him in midair? As his eyes groggily came to focus, he noticed Kili was attached somehow to their uncle, who was walking away from the campers, and into the forest wielding a small twig.

"Fiwi... Help me!" Kili whimpered quietly as his flailed his arms in despair.  
>"Kili... What are you doing?" Fili got to his feet and scurried to his younger brother, trying desperately not to wake anyone else up. Mahal only knew how the others would react to whatever this was.<br>"I'm trying to cut the braids!" Now Fili could see what was suspending Kili- two thick, brown braids going from his head to Thorin's.  
>"Kili, what have you done?" Fili could not possibly imagine a circumstance that would result in the two dwarves' hair being tied together, and yet... here he was. Life was full of surprises.<br>"But... But Smaug... " Kili protested pointlessly.  
>Great. This was just great. Another one of Kili's imaginary quests to defeat Smaug gone terribly wrong. This was almost as bad as the time Kili attacked a priceless China dragon of his mother's. What was Kili's problem around dragons? And how did that result in him being carried away into the forest tied to his uncles head?<br>Fili needed to do something fast. This forest was notorious for the dangers it concealed. He needed to wake Thorin up. He shared his plan with Kili, who heartily disagreed.  
>"If we wake Thorin up, I'll be in trouble! Pwease don't Fiwi!"<br>Fili rolled his eyes, but knew his brother was right. Their mother would never let them hear the end of it. So, that cleared matters up- they needed to separate the two dwarves without waking the older one.

Ten minutes later, the list of separation methods was narrowed down significantly. Pulling was pointless- Thorin was too tall for Fili to try and unknot the hair, and for some strange reason, Kili's sword just wasn't working. Fili was about to give up when he saw a glint of light coming from Thorin's coat pocket. A blade! Upon further inspection, it proved to be a small knife! Fili couldn't believe his luck! He raised the blade to the mass of hair, when a bloodcurdling howl sounded from far away. Probably a wolf, or a stray warg. Kili, however, took this as Smaug's war cry, and started thrashing his 'sword' around and yelling instructions to the 8 year old and his sleeping uncle.

"Kili, stop wriggling!" Fili couldn't cut the hair with Kili moving so frantically,  
>And so he joined in the yelling, trying to calm down his now hysterical younger brother. Kili was moving so much, he knocked Thorin off balance and kicked the knife out of Fili's hand. Thorin crashed to the forest floor, bringing Kili down with him. Both dwarves groaned. Thorin sleepily opened his eyes.<p>

Fili steeled himself for a lecture, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brother wincing.  
>"What... boys? What are you doing here? And- ow!" Thorin winced as he raised his head. As he saw that he had been tied to his nephew, he-<p>

He started apologizing.  
>"Sorry boys! I've done some odd things in my sleep, but I've never tied myself to someone's head before! Ah- that hurts!" He rubbed his head, and began to expertly untie the braids. Both Fili and Kili were lost for words, but said nothing further until Kili had been detached. They knew better than to bring up what had really happened.<p>

"Thanks, boys for coming in after me, but don't put yourself at risk again for me, okay?" The boys nodded in agreement. They certainly weren't going to be doing this again.

**Epilogue**

_Many years later, the dwarves found themselves in a bit of a predicament. They had been captured by trolls, and were being prepared to be cooked. No thanks to that hobbit, thought Thorin.  
>"Do you have a plan, Master Thorin?" Balin whispered to him.<br>"Yes- I've got my trusty kni-" _

_It wasn't there. How could this happen? He hadn't taken out his knife since... Ah yes, the day that he had found himself tied to his nephew's head. He had been meaning to search for it for a while- it must have escaped his mind._

_"Master Thorin?" Balin asked fretfully.  
>"Um... Never mind- I'm sure someone will figure something out." <em>

_But as he looked around, he knew it was hopeless. All his company did were yell threats and squirm around. He sighed. Why couldn't they have chosen a more resourceful burglar?_


	2. The Mines

"But I want to!"

"Kili, you're too young."

"I'm not a baby anymore!" Kili protested, stamping his feet. There was no _way_ he was leaving until he got to see the mines.

"I know you're not a baby, but it's very dangerous down there, and-"

"It's not fair!" Kili yelled. He wasn't a baby. He was seven years old. He was a big boy now. He could go down the mine if he wanted. Why wasn't Balin listening?

"Kili. You have to do what Uncle Balin says." Dis interjected, giving Kili a _do-it-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you_ look.

"No no no! I won't! I want to see the mines!" Kili yelled, his childish tantrums echoing off the walls, filling the emerald halls with his wails.

"Kili! Stop being such a fool!" Dis warned him, her glare intensifying.

"Don't call me a fool! You're not the boss of me!"

"Don't speak to your mother that way!" said a voice from the doorway. It was none other than Thorin Oakenshield himself, with Fili at his heels. "I was just showing Fili the throne room when I heard someone causing a fuss down here."

"They won't let me see the mines, Uncle Thorin!" Kili said, batting his eyelashes and pursing his lips. No adult could resist the sheer masterpiece that was Kili's puppy-dog eyes. Alas, it didn't work- Thorin saw through it straight away.

"Kili, no means no. You have to respect that."

"No no no!" Kili sprinted off into the corridors, his light footsteps echoing.

"Kili, wait!" Dis called out, then ran off after him. Thorin and Balin followed suit, leaving Fili on his own in the entrance hall. He knew better than to run away like his little brother. Why was Kili such a trouble maker?

Thorin was getting tired of running. Why was Erebor so large and... _majestic_? He had no idea where Kili would end up- he didn't even know where _he_ was; he was just following his sister's footsteps. Suddenly, the steady rhythm of Dis' feet stopped. She stood in the doorframe of a balcony, frozen rigidly as she stared at the scene below. Thorin caught up to her. She shot him a momentary glance as he approached her, then extended a shaky hand and pointed. As Thorin's eyes adjusted, he made out three things:

One. They were overlooking the area where supplies and resources where moved back and forth between the mines using little carts on a track.

Two. One of the carts was moving very fast towards the mine when it shouldn't've been.

Three. Kili was in that cart.

Thorin bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Kili!"

All the dwarves working in the loading station looked first at Thorin and then at the runaway cart. _Oh dear..._

Dis snapped out of her horrified state, and started apologizing profusely, her voice heavy with oncoming tears. "Thorin, I'm so, so sorry! I couldn't catch up with him- he just leapt off the balcony into the cart!"

Luckily for Kili, the drop was only about four metres high. He could have easily cleared the balcony railing and fallen into a cart below. What really amazed Thorin was how quick thinking Kili was. _Why did his nephew have to use his talents this way?_

Kili, on the other hand, was rather pleased with himself. What an _excellent _plan of his. There he was, soaring along, heading straight for the mines, without any adult following him or telling him not to. He let the wind ruffle his hair, smiling to himself. Everything was going exceptionally well until Kili spied a drop in front of him. _Oops. _Well, he was probably going to die right then and there.

Then it hit him. He was going to die! He screamed at the top of his lungs. HE WAS GOING TO DIE!

Meanwhile, Thorin had been handing out instructions to all his dwarves, who all knew and loved Kili like their son. They would do anything to keep him safe. Dis was standing rigidly on the track the carts went down, staring as far as she could see into the darkness that her youngest had sped off into. As his high-pitched scream wafted towards them, Dis cried, "My baby!"

Thorin gulped. This couldn't end well.

Fili was still sitting in the entrance hall. He had drawn a picture in the dust. He was _bored._ He heard his brother's squeals coming from a corridor to his right. What was he to do? He didn't want to wander off and cause trouble... but his brother needed him. He could feel it.

Sometimes, rules were worth breaking.

Kili was still screaming when the cart reached the edge of the track. Luckily for him, the cart swapped rails to the one above it just in time. He was now suspended in midair, rolling along the track. When Kili realised he wasn't falling to his death, he looked over the edge timidly- and what he saw blew him away. The mines sprawled out beneath him, veins of gold glinting up at him. Emerald greens mixed with glittering gold and brilliant white- a kaleidoscope of wonder that spiraled ever downwards. _He had done it. _Kili had gotten to see the mines. They were wonderful!

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.. The rails took a sharp turn, and because the carts weren't meant for carrying dwarves, Kili flew right off the edge. _Now, _he was going to die.

Thorin and Dis stood at the edge of the track as some other dwarves hauled the rogue cart in. It was empty. Dis broke into a sobbing fit at Thorin's shoulder. Thorin tried to comfort her, but he really felt like bursting into tears himself. _Not Kili. Kili can't die. He's too young. _He wanted to save his nephew, but at the moment he was lost for ideas.

Kili was falling past all the dwarves at work. Mutters, shouts and gasps broke out as he passed each dwarf. There were a few outcrops and balconies looking out over the mines, but he missed each one as he fell deeper into the Lonely Mountain. They were all too far left. Kili needed on on his right. Aha! There was one just below him. There was one person standing there, with a horror-stricken look on his face as he stared up at Kili falling down above him.

Caught like a deer in the headlights, Fili couldn't move. Kili started to yell something to his brother but before he could he landed directly on top of him.

The resulting thud shook the mountain.

When the boys woke up, they were both covered in cuts and bruises. Kili had been spared the impact of the fall by Fili, who had been squashed by his little brother. Luckily, almost impossibly, everyone was okay. They both groggily came to as their family rushed to their sides. Pushing aside all the questions, hugs and lectures the older dwarves offered them, Fili and Kili sat up and looked each other in the eye. Kili grinned. He was missing a few teeth.

"Fanks, Fiwi. You safed me."

Fili smiled back, one eye swollen shut.

"No problem, little brother."

Some rules were worth breaking, Fili thought.


	3. The Dream

"Uh... where am I?" Kili groaned.

He was lying on the floor in a big, black room, with polished floors and a tiny pinprick of light above him. That was odd. He had thought he had gone to sleep in his bed, next to Fili... oh- he must be dreaming!

He stood up and examined the room. It was completely dark, meaning 'examining' turned out to be more like 'fumbling around aimlessly'. In the end, he could only find one door. He slowly opened it to reveal another dark room. With nothing better to do, Kili went in.

In this room, Kili saw a painting on the wall. It was of him and his brother- except they were old. Like... really old. Kili, quite frankly, was disgusted. What was this? The two dwarves were wrinkled and grey, with all traces of youth worn away. But the thing that repulsed Kili most was the fact that they looked so real. Disturbingly real. He had to feel his face to reassure him that he was only seven years old. He rushed to where he had entered the room, only to find the door missing. He quickly spotted a door on the far wall. He ran over to it, and thrust it open.

Unlike the two dark rooms he had been in, this one was hot pink. In the middle of the room stood a fruit on a pedestal. He had seen one like this once at a marketplce- a pineapple, the vendor had called it. It looked vaguely similar to a pinecone, Kili had decided, but did not resemble an apple at all. Kili decided that he would move on. Yet again, the door behind him had sealed, and another one had appeared on the opposite wall. _My mind is a seriously weird place, _Kili thought as he approached the next door.

As he walked into the room, trumpets sounded. Thorin sat in the middle of the room, throwing flowers into the air and smiling gleefully. Kili wanted to approach him, but he was afraid of what would happen. Thorin laughed and started singing a song in a foreign language. Kili ran into the next room.

This time, there was Fili in the room, writing on the walls. At first, Kili was shocked Fili would vandalize something, then he remembered it was just a dream. Upon closer inspection, he realized the things Fili had written were quite insane. He read:

_And, whilst the cockerel may make a good meal, the gems aren't for sale- maybe if you rented a boat, the giraffe would forgive you for your haughtiness and return your yo-yo. But, I must warn you that the frogs will bite if you put your thumb too close- so wear sunscreen if you want to survive the impertinent plaguing of the shepherd's earrings._

Kili was very confused, as he didn't know what half of those words meant, and decided to continue on his journey.

In the next room, Kili saw his mother, Dis, looking into a mirror. She was yelling at it with such force that Kili feared it would shatter.

"For the love of Hermione, would you shut up!" She roared. The mirror remained silent. She howled with fury.

"How do you expect me to believe such lies! Do you think it's easy for me to look this good? Do you?"

Kili backed away. His dream-mother was scaring him. He timidly crept into the next room.

In that room, a tall, blonde being was sitting on a stool strumming something Kili had never seen before. The lady wasn't a dwarf- she was much too tall, and wasn't hairy enough, for that matter. She had a veil of blonde hair cascading down her shoulder, and some resting on her face that came down to her eyebrows. She had strikingly blue eyes and vivid red lips. Kili could hear her singing to the instrument. As he crept closer, he heard the words,

"You kept my old scarf,

from that very first week

'Cause it reminds you of innocence

And it smells like me"

Kili decided that this was _also _a figment of his imagination, although he couldn't have guessed he would think someone like this up.

In the next room, Kili saw a small, black rectangle lying on the floor. He walked over to it, and a small apple appeared in the centre, a bright, white one on the surface of the rectangle. Kili yelped and leapt backwards. What was this? Then, the apple changed into a screen with numbers and words on it. Kili was afraid. The screen was moving, pulsating- it felt like witchcraft. Kili ran towards the door.

Now this room, this room he knew. It was the great hall of Erebor, in all it's glory. There was someone on the throne- but it wasn't Uncle Thorin. As he approached, the figure became clearer- and for some reason, the man became more familiar. He had unruly black hair, and a deep, majestic gaze. He smiled as the young dwarf approached him. The handsome man then let the dwarfling sit on his knee. He whispered into Kili's ear, "Do you know who I am?"

Kili shook his head.

"I am you." He said, smiling. Kili looked up at his older self, sitting on the throne of the King under the Mountain. The older Kili looked back down at the young dwarf, staring up in adoration at him. The little Kili looked around- someone had entered the hall. Another handsome dwarf, with pale brown hair and intense blue eyes strode towards them, with a care-free smile on his face.

"Are you... are you Fili?" Little Kili asked. Fili nodded. He tousled his little little brother's hair.

"Do we get to rule the kingdom? Does Fili get to be king?" Little Kili asked, excitement seeping into his voice.

The two older dwarves glanced at each other, their happy smiles drooping slightly.

"It's time for you to go back home." Fili said. Big Kili nodded in agreement.

"But why? I want to stay here with you guys- I want to know what happens!"

Older Kili smiled. "We can't spoil the surprise."

Kili woke up. He was in his bed at home. He rolled over to see his brother, with the same bright blue eyes and happy grin as his older self. Kili didn't want anything to change.


	4. The Coat

"I don't like it _at all_," Kili protested, pursing his lips and stomping his feet. Tantrums were still the only way he knew how to negotiate, much to Dis' annoyance.

"You _have _to wear it. You promised Uncle Thorin." Dis tried reasoning with her troublesome seven-year-old son, to no avail.

"I didn't promise, you did!" Kili yelled.

Dis sighed. He was right. She had told her brother that Kili would wear it. But she had thought he would go along with it! Besides- it wasn't _that _unbecoming a garment. It wouldn't have pained Kili that much to wear it.

"Honey, what's wrong with it?" Dis pushed the cloak towards Kili encouragingly. He looked down at it begrudgingly, with disgust written all over his face.

"It's gross. It's too big. I don't like wearing fuzz." Kili poked the cloak with his foot. Dis bit her tongue, reluctant to mention how this cloak was his grandfather's, and how it was on the verge of sacred in the dwarven community. It wasn't like Kili would respect that.

"It'll only be while we go to Uncle's meeting. Then you can take it off."

"But why can't Fee wear it instead?"

"Because he's wearing the helmet."

Kili looked enviously over at his older brother, who was sitting on his bed reading with his Uncle's old battle helmet perched atop his head. Why did Fili get the good one?

"Kili- will you wear it? Please?" Dis bent down and looked her son in the eye. He stared defiantly back. He wanted to refuse, to stamp his feet more, to throw a tantrum, but he knew it was no good. Under her gentle exterior, Dis had the tolerance of a dragon in battle. Her will was just too strong.

"Fine." He grumbled, looking down at the cloak sprawled across the floor.

Later that day, Kili was regretting his decision to give in. As he walked into Thorin's meeting, he heard all conversation hush as they saw him wearing his grandfather's old cloak. It was scratchy, and it rubbed, and the fuzzy shoulder bits were making his sneeze. It was ridiculously big on him, and it trailed along the ground. He couldn't see his hands because they were enveloped in the unsightly browny-grey material. Thorin smiled at him. It had been a while since anyone had worn that cloak. Fili's helmet also drew some attention, but all eyes were drawn elsewhere.

And then, Kili realised something. Every one was looking at him. Every one was talking about him. Even though there were only 14 of them, and one of them was the rightful King under the Mountain, _he _was the centre of attention.

And he loved it.

Kili clambered into his chair, the cumbersome cloak only making it harder for the dwarfling to be seated. Fili helped hoist him up, and Kili settled himself into his chair with an air of dignity. Bofur applauded politely, acknowledging his success. The coat was disgusting, but Kili really made it work.

The meeting trudged on, full of boring things Kili didn't care much for. He supposed it was something commemorative, as he was in Thror's cloak, but he really couldn't care less.

Afterwards, Thorin pulled Kili over onto his lap.

"Do you like the cloak?"

Kili considered lying. He considered nodding and adding sweetly about how warm it was, and how much he loved Thorin. But instead, he said,

"No."

Thorin chuckled.

"I don't either!"

"But- but ma said you wanted me to wear it." Kili was completely appalled at this news, and by his uncle's mischievous laughter. Was he being left out of something?

"I _did_ want you to wear it... so I didn't have to!" Thorin laughed louder.

At first, he was shocked. But then, Kili giggled. Then he took off the extraordinarily ugly cloak and sat on it. It's bulkiness made him the same height as his Uncle.

"Much better." Kili said, snickering.

Thorin smiled, pulling his nephew closer.

"That's what I did too."


	5. The Scapegoat

He couldn't believe it. _He could not believe it. _But the shattered vase that lay at his feet was proof. He had just broken the last relic of his great-great-great grandfather's that they owned.

Fili was a good dwarfling. He had good academic results. He was good with a sword too, but he preferred studying ancient lore over target practice. He was a quiet, gentle soul that wouldn't even harm a fly. Which is why he surprised himself when he broke the vase.

When Kili walked in, the first thing he saw was the guilt written all over his brother's face. Fili and Kili were so close that they couldn't hide anything from each other. For that reason, Kili knew what Fili had done before he even opened his mouth.

"You gonna be in SO much trouble!" Kili yelled gleefully. For once, it wasn't him!

"No-" Fili started to protest as Dis walked in. The last memory of her great-great-grandfather's existence lay smashed into smithereens at her feet. Her two boys stood side by side, one with a sorry expression and one grinning.

"Who-" Dis began, but before she could finish, Fili blurted "Kili did it!"

Kili looked absolutely outraged. Okay, so he was often to blame for things. But one time he didn't do it and everyone thought he did?

"Kili? Is this true?" Dis asked.

"No! No it's not! Fili did it! Fili did it!" Kili's bottom lip started to tremble as he yelled. He wasn't going to be blamed for this.

But Dis didn't believe him. How often did bookworm Fili do anything wrong? And how often was troublemaker Kili totally innocent?

"Sorry Kili, but that's a time out for you." Kili screeched as Dis scooped him up and carried him into the 'Penance Chair', or as it was called nowadays, 'Kili's chair'. She made sure he was facing the wall and then she strapped him in. The leather belt she had so often tied him to the chair with was frayed and ripped due to him always trying to chew his way to freedom. Even the chair was starting to get imprinted from the young dwarf constantly occupying it. Dis patted him on the head.

"Now think about what's happened." She walked away, looking for a broom to sweep up the vase.

"Kili, I-" Fili stopped. Kili had just shifted away from him. His arms were folded and his lip pouted. Fili left him there to brood. He would be over it by dinner.

Dinner was a truly awkward affair. Kili bent so low over his soup that he looked like he was sticking his face in it. Fili didn't make eye contact with Dis for fear of giving his guilt away. Dis kept an eye on the clock, waiting for Thorin to come home.

When her brother did come, Dis was quite flustered. She was tired of her feeble attempts at conversation. Fili had just mumbled, and Kili had just grunted. When Thorin came round and ruffled her hair affectionately, she leapt up and started chatting away, preparing his meal. When he ruffled Fili's hair, Fili just shrugged and muttered, "Hi."

However, when he bent down near Kili, Kili reached up and grabbed his neck, and using all his strength swung himself onto Thorin's shoulders. He then steered Thorin into his bedroom. There was some murmured conversation, then Thorin emerged, and took his meal and began eating. When Dis sent Fili to his bedroom, he found Kili already lying in bed, pretending to be asleep. On his pillow, there was a crudely written note.

_Fi. I dint brak the vas. You lyed. Im never looking at you agann. I dont like lyers. Goodnit. From Kili._

Fili gasped. This was mean. Kili rolled further over, away from Fili. He could hear Thorin and Dis discussing something in murmurs.

He didn't know why he blamed Kili. He couldn't help himself. He didn't think Kili would mind. He always got in trouble. But now he wasn't speaking to him. But he didn't know what he did wrong. He didn't want to get in trouble. He hated getting yelled at. But now Kili wasn't talking to him _at all. _

In the morning, Dis anxiously waited for Thorin to come from archery with Kili. She didn't want to confront Fili alone. Thorin had told her what Kili had said had happened. And if Thorin believed her youngest, she did too.

"We're back!" Thorin swung open the door and Kili ran in.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I shot a rabbit!" Kili smiled. Dis was speechless until he produced a rabbit painted on a piece of wood from behind his back. There was a stick stuck in it's stomach.

"Good boy!" Dis said with relief. "Now can you go and cut it up for dinner?"

Kili nodded heartily and dragged his catch over to his little corner with the air of a man returning from a hard day's work. He wearily slung his tiny bow over a chair, and put down his arrows. They had been made by Thorin and weren't good for piercing anything but soft wood. He then pulled out his toy dagger and began hacking at the piece of wood with the rabbit on it. Dis knew he would be distracted for a while.

Fili felt bad. Like, bad bad. He wasn't focusing on what Uncle and Mum were saying, but he could hear the message loud and clear; _Why did you lie?_

Fili didn't know why. He didn't know how he hadn't owned up to it either. He just didn't want to be in trouble.

When the talk was over, Fili was told to apologise to Kili. He didn't like the sound of that because Kili had a dagger (real or not). He turned around to ask Thorin something, and then felt something hard hit the back of his head. He spun around just in time to catch Kili throw another chunk of wood at him. this time it hit him in the stomach. Instead of telling Kili off, or telling Dis of her child's absolutely intolerable behavior, Fili decided he would play along with it.

"Agh! I'm hit! Tell my brother I'm sorry that I lied!" Then he fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. He lay completely still, and he heard small footsteps coming near to him.

"Fili?" Kili poked him with his foot. Fili rolled over, grinning. Kili beamed back. Fili was forgiven.


	6. The pet Goat

Wow. Just... wow. Fili didn't know how he did it. He didn't know what he was going to do with it. But something had to be done.

"Kili. You can't keep it."

"Yeah I can" Kili said with deﬁance. He smirked. "You're just jealous."

"Of what?" Fili rolled his eyes.

"Snuffy." Kili smirked.

"Snuffy? Is that his name?" What an absolutely ridiculous name.

"Yes. Yes it is."

Fili was annoyed. First, his brother caught (or stole...?) a baby goat, then be named him Snuffy.

This day couldn't get any worse.

"And he's going to sleep in your bed." Kili said with a smile. And the day got worse.

"Look, nothing against Snifﬂes or whatever he's called but we can't just have a goat sleeping in my bed. Who's going to feed it?"

"Me of course."

"Kili- do you even know what to feed a goat?" Fili was 100% skeptical.

"You of course."

"Pardon?"

"He's going to eat you."

"What! Why?" Fili didn't know why but he was fearing for his life.

"Because you don't like him." Kili's playful tone then changed to a dark, foreboding voice as he whispered, "he eats his enemies."

Oh great. His brother is ofﬁcially nuts.

Fili would have told Dis sooner of it wasn't for her tapestry class. She was out for a few hours, and she had left the boys at home alone. So now Fili was stuck with his insane little brother and a random goat. Unfortunately, Fili now realised that if he told on Kili, Kili would go back to being angry with him, and he couldn't have that happen. So he just had to cover it up until Dis found out for herself. Which wouldn't be to long, Fili reassured himself, his mother was a smart woman.

Kili, in the meantime, was having a ball with Snuffy. They had bonded so much in the last 10 minutes. Kili knew that Snuffy and him would have a long and fruitful friendship.

When Dis got home, she met Fili in the kitchen, making a sandwich.

"Hi Fili!"

Fili blushed bright red. He couldn't think of what to say. At that moment, Kili walked in, saw Dis, then backed straight out. Fili could feel his brother senses tingling. This was going to be difﬁcult.

Dis was already suspicious, but when she spied Kili stealing oatmeal she knew something was wrong. They were hiding something. And she intended to ﬁnd out.

"Kili!" Dis called.

There was a scrambled rush, some doors slammed, a heavy-sounding object dragged and a small stiﬂed yell before Kili emerged. He kicked the door shut behind him.

"Kili, what's going on?"

Kili blushed, and mumbled "nothing."

"Really?" She leant closer.

Kili snapped, and yelled something along the lines of "you'll never take me alive!", and rushed over to the open window. He dramatically climbed on top of the table, looked Dis straight in the eye, then jumped out the window. A soft thud came from the garden bed below, followed by a frantic scamper. Dis was totally dumbstruck.

Meanwhile, Fili was hiding Snuffy in his closet. It was not small feat- Snuffy wanted to come out. Kili's barricade wasn't working- well, Fili hadn't expected it to. Using his brother to hold a closet closed wasn't a genius plan. The only thing stopping Fili from telling Dis his brothers plans was how he didn't want to betray his little brothers trust again. But it would have been a lot easier if his brother was less troublesome.

Snuffy was bummed. He just wanted to be set free. He was trapped inside a closet. Baaaaaa. He was hungry. Snuffy wasn't very intelligent. Moo.

Dis smacked a branch away from her face. It was TIRING to chase her youngest through the forest after he jumped out the window AGAIN. He was such a drama queen. What was he hiding? She needed to know. Last time he hid something from her she ended up with a black eye. She could not let her son get hurt or hurt her.

Kili was an adventurer! As he traipsed through the dense forest, he felt the wind blow through his hair. He was free. Free. But Snuffy wasn't free. What had he done? He turned around, scampered up a tree and climbed home. He slid in through the chimney and plummeted down to the ﬂoor. Fili was waiting for him.

"What are we going to do? Snuffy is pushing against the door!" Fili exclaimed.

"We need to set him free!"

"Excuse me?" Fili wanted to ask more questions but Kili just pushed him aside and ﬂung the doors open.

"BE FREE SNUFFY!" Kili yelled. Snuffy trampled him. Snuffy ran into the kitchen and say on the table on protest.

When Dis returned, there was a goat on the table, her youngest son was covered in ash and lying on the ﬂoor, and Fili was reading a book. Wait no, it was a goat-care book.

"What's going on?"

The two boys instantly pointed to each other and yelled simultaneously "he did it!"

Dis chuckled. Snuffy bleated. Fili laughed. Kili started to laugh too, until Dis picked them both up and put them both in their room.

Later, when they had ﬁnished tidying up after Snuffy, and bought Dis a new bag of oatmeal, the two boys set Snuffy free. He deserved it.


	7. The Initiation

"No. You can't." Fili shook his head. He was actually enjoying this limited power over his little brother,

"Please!" Kili whined.

"No! You can't join." Fili shook his head with pride.

Kili got down on his knees and groveled in the dirt. "Please, please- let me join. I want to be in your club."

"No." Fili gave a small nod to indicate the discussion was _over. _However, he felt a small cringe of pain when he heard his brother sobbing softly into the dirt.

"Fine. But you have to go through... an _initiation_!" Kili, still sniffling, got to his feet, wiping the tears and dirt off of his face.

"Whats an ini... ini... ini-shay-shon?"

Fili rolled his eyes.

"Its a series of tests you go through so you can prove you should be part of the club."

Kili's little eyes glistened. He loved a challenge.

"So first, you have to climb up there." Fili pointed to the tallest tree in the woods near their house. "And then, you can climb down there-" he pointed to a nearby rock formation, which was overhanging a river. "And swim across, to the other side. Then you'll be done part one."

Kili tentatively stepped towards the base of the tree. It was a lot thicker up close. How on earth was he going to reach the first branch? It was so high... maybe he shouldn't do this... but he _really _wanted to be part of this club. He grabbed at the tree bark with his hands as it crumbled down on top of him. Fili smirked. Kili was never going to make his club.

Well, that's what he thought, until he got hit on the head with a twig. What was that? Kili was on the branch above him! Disturbing the branches! Maybe he actually had a chance... ?

Kili couldn't breathe. The altitude must be making him dizzy, he concluded, as he hung on for dear life. A drop from this height could probably kill a dwarf, even a hardened explorer like him. He felt something poke the bottom of his foot.

"Hey. Hurry up. It's been five minutes and you've gotten two metres up- let's keep it moving."

Kili glanced over his shoulder and saw Fili poking him, with a bored expression on his face.

He sighed. He had to keep moving.

Fili was awoken from his brief nap by his brother's high-pitched screams. He must have dosed off in waiting for his brother to finish. Where was Kili? Was that... was that him at the top of the tree? No way!

Why was he screaming?

Kili knew now that he was going to do. Ok, so he had said that before, many, many, many times, but now he _knew- _there was no other way out. He had made it to the top of the tree, but, um... Fili had appeared to have _underestimated _the gap between the tree and the rocks. Kili could never make the jump! And he was so... so... so high up... he felt dizzy. He felt like he was going to throw up. _Well- you only live once, _a little voice in the back of his head said. Kili was about to disagree with that little statement when the branch beneath him gave way. In his haste, he kicked a branch to his left and sent himself spiraling downwards towards the rock formation.

He felt as if he had been awoken from the dead. Kili must have temporarily blacked out. His back HURT. All he could see was the blue sky above him. And he could hear something too- he could hear his mother's voice.

"FILI, IF I HAVE TOLD YOU ONCE, I HAVE TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES, DON'T SEBD YOUR BROTHER OFF ON DANGEROUS MISSIONS TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING WE BOTH KNOW ISN'T REALLY THAT IMPORTANT!"

_Ah. That was more like it. _Kili smiled, despite of the pain. He heard Fili mumble something in return, and then his mother sighed, and said "look, honey, we both know Kili isn't... well, he can be quite- _irrational, _sometimes, but I'm sure he'll grow out of that."

Hey. That was rude. Kili turned himself, and realised he was perched on top of the rock cluster. He had made it! Dis and Fili were climbing up the side to get to him. It was quite steep, so he still had some time.

_Irrational? _He wasn't irrational. Sure, he did some crazy things, but that was fun, not irrational. Wait. What did irrational mean? Kili had no clue. _It probably means I'm boring, _the little voice inside his head whispered. Kili was taken aback. He was NOT boring! As a matter of fact, he was going to prove Dis and Fili wrong by finishing part one of this inishayshon! Um... intiaton... this intashion... this TEST!

When Fili climbed to the top, he expected to see his little brother's unconscious body sprawled out on the rock. Instead, he saw Kili at the edge of the rock, mustering his strength to jump down into the violent river.

"KILI!" Dis yelled.

"I'M NOT IRRATIONAL!" yelled Kili as he jumped off of the ledge into the freezing cold river. He used all of his strength to get him halfway, then he realised he couldn't possibly get to the other side. Oops.

Fili didn't know what to do. His mother was freaking out, and his brother had just leapt into the river when he couldn't swim. He would just have to go in after him.

Kili was now getting swept downstream, and getting bumped against all the rocks. OUCH. He felt something slimy tickle his foot. EWWWW. Then he saw the violent waters right in front of him. The rapids. Cue screaming.

Fili heard his brothers screams as he threw himself off the ledge. He heard Dis gasp and run to the side, looking down, petrified, as her two sons floated down the volatile river. Fili didn't know how to swim either, but he had seen the men in the next village race, and they did something cool with their arms, so he spun his arms around and kicked, and he found himself traveling surprisingly fast. Faster than Kili. Great- so he could catch up to him!

Kili thought he heard someone behind him.

"Help! HELP!" Kili screeched.

"Shut up, Kee, I'm coming!" He heard Fili's voice above the roaring of the water.

"FEEEEEEE!" Kili yelled as he was pulled underwater. He bumped into a rock, and was sent spiraling sideways. He was going to die now, he thought as he saw all the rocks ahead of him.

Suddenly, he felt an arm around him. He was yanked out of the freezing water.

"Kili? Are you alright? What happened to you?" It was Thorin. He was looking worriedly at his youngest nephew, who was dripping wet.

"Fili!" Kili gasped.

"Fili? Where's Fili?" Thorin set Kili down. Kili pointed weakly into the rapids. A small hand was waving at Thorin before it got pulled under.

"FILI!" Thorin dived back into the translucent water, thrashing about like a bear trying to catch a fish. His face was white with terror. He couldn't lose his nephews. His beautiful nephews.

Fili felt sick. And he needed to breathe. He felt his eyelids closing. He couldn't keep them open. Just before he lost consciousness, he felt a strong hand grasp around his ankle.

Thorin laid Fili down on the bank. He had a cut above his eye. Kili wanted to talk to him, to hug him, but Thorin nudged Kili back. Then Thorin started pressing down on Fili's chest, something Kili had seen a man do once. Fili sputtered back to life, coughing up water.

Kili rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Fee? Fee are you ok?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." Fili looked at him with his sparkling blue eyes. "You can join my club. You passed the initiation."

Kili hugged Fili tighter, and, to his embarrassment, started to cry. He heard Fili do the same.

"I almost lost you, Kee."

"But you didn't."

The brothers felt two large, hairy arms wrap around them both. It was their Uncle. He appeared to be crying too.

"Don't put yourselves in danger again, ok?" His usually deep, cool voice was wavering with tears.

The boys nodded, and pressed their cold, wet little bodies into their Uncle's warm chest. They could hear Dis sprinting along the river, crying out to Thorin and her sons.

"My boys! Are my boys ok?"

Her face was tear-streaked too.

Kili elbowed Fili softly.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Do you wanna join my club?"


	8. The Swimming Lesson

Hi. So this little... story isn't really humorous, but I felt it was necessary to follow up the

previous ﬁc. So... Enjoy!

"Ugh. Do I have to?"

"Yes, Kili, it's important you know how to swim."

"But the water's so... wet."

Dis rolled her eyes. She was paying good money for her sons to have swimming lessons- actually,

she just asked her friend to teach them, but it's really the intention that counts.

Kili looked at the lake with contempt. Fili had waded in up to his waist, but he didn't appear to be

having fun. Their 'instructor', Bofur, was easing Fili forward.

"Come on son, only a wee bit further, then you can start swimming."

"I don't want to swim. I'm cold, and my toes are numb." Fili declared, scrunching up his toes

against the cold rocky lake-bottom.

"Do I have to?" Kili looked up at Dis pleadingly. Dis felt a small pang if guilt, making her sons do

something they didn't want to do, but they had to go through with this. She couldn't have another...

incident.

A small shriek brought Dis back to earth. A small wave had knocked Fili off of his feet, and he was

now thrashing wildly as Bofur yelled encouragingly. "That's a good lad! Keep sculling! Find your

balance!" Dis cringed. Maybe she could have chosen a better 'swimming instructor'. Fili managed

to drag himself onshore. He was sopping wet, and a damp mane of dusty blonde hair was covering

his eyes. He leant against a small boulder and coughed. More like sputtered, Dis thought. She

walked over to him and dried him with a big ﬂuffy towel.

Kili, on the other hand, was extremely afraid. There was his brother, drenched and numb, shivering

by a rock, and there was Bofur, grinning wildly, waist-deep in the pulsing water, beckoning him into

the formidable lake.

"Come in lad, it's your turn."

Kili shook his head, to no avail. He stood ﬁrmly on dry land until Dis gently tugged him into the

water. He felt quite uncomfortable. Due to the fact that there was no such thing as swimmers yet,

Kili was dressed in a thin, white shirt and oversized old shorts that used to belong to Fili. Although

he had heavily protested against it, it was 'wear these clothes or none at all', so he unwillingly gave

in. He felt odd without his thick woolly socks on. His bare feet felt numb against the cold sand. He

took a deep breath and stepped in to the icy cold water. He winced. It was so cold it stung, but he

ploughed on.

Fili pushed back his wet hair. He was still shivering slightly, but he was (mostly) dry. He saw his

little brother tentatively stepping into the icy lake. He could feel his brother's fear. Dis might have

seen Kili's refusal as stubbornness, but Fili knew otherwise. He was afraid. Afraid of the relentless

water. Fili stood, the cold wind chilling him, and he walked up to Kili, ignoring the gnawing cold of

the water. Kili looked up at him with his big brown eyes, and Fili saw the fear hidden within him. He

took Kili's hand, and together they took a step forward. And another. Bofur watched carefully as

they waded in, one step at a time, until they were both about chest-deep. Fili then nodded at Kili. It

was time to go under.

Kili felt a pair of hands grab his side. It was Bofur. He gently guide Kili until he was horizontal,

ﬂoating on the waves. Kili felt a weird sensation as he lay on the water. It wasn't a rough, hurtful

sensation like last time- it was a smooth, slow sensation, as he lay his weight on the lake's surface.

He felt the water beside him disturbed. Fili was lying on his back too. He shot him a weak smile.

Bofur instructed them to turn over on the count of three and kick.

One... Kili felt Bofur's guiding hand come off of him.

Two... Fili gently sculled the water, keeping himself aﬂoat. It was a lot easier this time.

Three.

Kili pushed himself onto his stomach and kicked his legs as hard as he could. He felt himself go

further out into the lake. He saw Fili by his side. They smiled at each other. Fili grabbed his hand, and pulled him closer as they swum together. Kili was swimming! He was really swimming! Fili,

slowly but surely, felt his brother get faster and stronger. They both surfaced for a second to get

some air. Kili grinned. Fili returned the look with a bigger smile. Then they both ducked back under,

playfully circling each other, chasing ﬁsh and divin under waves.

"Your boys are naturals!" Exclaimed a surprised Bofur to an equally astonished Dis. Dis was

gaping at her two boys playing in the lake when she felt a spattering of water droplets on her side.

"Hey!" She yelled as Bofur prepared to splash her again. She playfully kicked water back at him.

He laughed and splashed her again. She stepped further into the water and splashed him right

back.

"What have we here?" Thorin pulled up beside the lake and got off of his pony. Dis opened her

mouth the say something when Bofur splashed Thorin. Thorin looked angry for a moment, then he

leapt into the lake, fur cloak and all, to splash Bofur back. The three adults laughed for a while,

before Thorin ﬁnally asked, "where are the boys?"

Dis froze. "Oh my god." She frantically searched the lake's surface for them. Not so much as a

ripple. She started breathing quickly. Why had she been so careless?

Suddenly two little heads burst out of the water right in front of her, splashing her and the rest of

the company. Fili and Kili giggled happily as Thorin scooped them up.

"Playing a trick on you mum, hey?" They laughed happily as he ﬂicked water at him.

Dis was about to reprimand them for sneaking up on her and scaring her when Kili threw a piece of

seaweed at her. It slid down her face. Everyone stood still for a second in shock, Kili still grinning-

petriﬁed with fear. No one, NO ONE threw things at Dis. Everyone stood in suspense, waiting for

her to yell at Kili, but instead she just beamed and threw it back, yelling "oh no you don't!"

Later that afternoon, when the sun was casting a soft purple glow across the evening sky, they all

sat around the campﬁre, drying off. Bofur was soaked, except for his hat. Thorin was sitting there in

a shirt and shorts too- his clothes where hung up, drying. Dis' dress was wet at the hem, and

spattered with droplets. Fili and Kili sat together, smiling happily. Now they could swim.


	9. The Interrogation

"Kili. Kiliiii..." A harsh light brought Kili from his sleep. He couldn't see who was shining it at him.

"Whaaaaaa...?" Kili thrashed out in front of him, trying to block the light. "What is this?"

"You're under interrogation." An unfamiliar voice said.

"What...? Why? I didn't do it!" Kili didn't know why he was under interrogation. He also didn't know who it was pointing a light at him.

He heard a sigh. A familiar sigh. He heard this sigh of annoyance almost every day.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, honey?" Dis' voice was tinged with worry.

"What's happening? Why are you pointing the light at me, mummy? I can't see!" he squirmed more, rolling over on his bed so that he was lying face-first into the pillow. He felt a hand roughly jerk him back.

"Ouch! Mummy, make it stop!" Kili knew he shouldn't be doing this. He was a big boy now. But he felt the tears start to trail down his cheeks as he cried and squirmed. At least it worked.

"That's enough! Stop it! Turn the light off!" Dis commanded, but she couldn't hide the wavering voice.

"This is the law, ma'am. I have to follow strict interrogation practices." The unfamiliar voice didn't seem aware of his pain. He heard the pitter-patter of Fili's running feet down the hall, followed by the heavy thudding that could only mean one thing.

"Ma'am, I thought I asked you to keep your other son out of this."

"I'm doing all I can, but I can't see why this is necessary." Dis' voice was cold.

"But I can, ma'am. And I'm a police officer."

"And I'm the King." Kili heard Thorin's voice as he threw open the door. "And I command you to stop interrogating my nephew."

Kili blinked. He still couldn't get that weird little purple dot out of his eyes. The light had made his vision all weird.

"You ok?" Asked Fili. Kili nodded.

"Cool." Fili started to walk away, then felt his little brother's arms wrapping around his shoulders in an awkward embrace.

"Thanks. You got Uncle for me."

Fili blushed awkwardly.

"No problem. You would have done it for me, right?"

"Uh-huh." Kili trailed off. He was tired.

"Wanna go spy on the others?" Fili asked.

"Uh-huh." Kili sleepily got out of bed, smiling faintly, but appreciatively.

They stationed themselves at the door.

"How on earth would he do that?" Dis' voice was raised.

"I don't know, ma'am, all I know is that there is a highly valuable bow missing, and your son was seen practising archery with a similar one." The official voice seemed less self-assure now that Thorin was eyeing him warily.

"Kili's bow isn't stolen. He decorated it himself!" Dis protested.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "What's this? This is a priceless arrow, that would have come with the bow!" Kili heard the sound of someone scampering across the room and picking something up.

"That? That's his lucky arrow."

"How did he come by it?"

"He found it in the woods."

"Were you there?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then your testimony is hardly reliable!"

Dis gasped exasperatedly. "Thorin. Tell me you were with him. You're always with him!"

Kili heard Thorin's low voice mutter, "I'm sorry, Dis. I can't say that I was."

"Then let Kili testify!" Dis sounded a little frantic.

"We can't trust him! He's only a dwarfling!"

Kili heard Dis mutter something ferociously that made the officer gasp and Thorin stand up quickly.

"You can't send Kili to jail." Thorin interjected before anything got worse.

"I can if he's stolen something!"

"But you don't know he has!"

"Unless you prove he hasn't, he will be considered guilty."

"Wait!" Fili opened the door.

"Fili! Get back to bed!" Dis yelled, but Thorin hushed her.

"Um... sir, I can say I was there with Kili when he found the arrow." Fili stammered. The police officer was really... big. He was very squarish, Fili thought.

"And why should I trust the word of a dwarfling?" he scoffed.

"Because I'm telling the truth!" _Oopsies... _Fili's case seemed to crumble before him.

The officer laughed. "You're just standing up for your brother."

"No, I'm not." Fili heard Kili gasp. "Look. I know he's troublesome, and he's annoying, and he's quite adventurous, and-"

Thorin cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, he may be troublesome, but he's not a criminal. _Or _a liar. So I suggest you ask him yourself."

The policedwarf raised his eyebrow.

"Fili..." Dis started, but the officer said "No. No further discussion will be needed."

The officer opened the door to Kili, standing there, wide-eyed.

"You're going to jail, Kili."


	10. The Jail Break

Kili scratched a thin line into the wall. The countless tallies of other prisoners looked down on him. He had only made one scratch, only one night he had spent in prison, but he felt like a hardened prisoner. The bed was made for men, so he was (literally) dwarfed by it. He could have slept on the pillow alone. The sheets rubbed against him as he clambered off the bed. He rubbed his eyes wearily. Prison changed you.

In the cafeteria, Kili couldn't reach the bench, let alone see the display of food. When he sat down, an eruption of whispers started all around him. Who was this minuscule person? How did a dwarfling get into jail?

Fili was so anxious. His brother had to stay in jail for as long as the police deemed necessary. He couldn't imagine what the place was doing to his vulnerable little brother... images of criminals picking on him and hurting him overwhelmed his mind.

Meanwhile, Kili was actually getting a lot of respect from his fellow prisoners. In one day, he had them all mystified as to what he had done. He had heard rumours of him being a crazy mass murderer. That gave him some street cred.

Fili couldn't _believe _he was doing this. He followed the rules. He was a law-abiding citizen. But breaking someone out of jail mightn't be considered legal, even if it was your completely innocent little brother. Night had fallen, so Fili had to dodge the floodlights when he scaled the wall. He had no idea what he was doing. How did he know which cell Kili was in? He saw a row of barred windows. _Well, you never know until you try._

"Lights out!" Kili was locked back into his cell. The slam of doors closed echoed all around him. The lights were turned off, and everything was abruptly enveloped in darkness. Kili fumbled around and found his bed. After several failed attempts, he managed to clamber into bed and prepare for another rough night.

Fili had eliminated 4 rooms by now. The first two were empty, then there was a very loud snoring that Kili couldn't have made in the third. The fourth room- well, Fili never wanted to repeat what he saw in that room. He pressed his ear against the wall of the fifth cell. A small, cutesy snore was coming from it. That had to be Kili.

Kili woke up to the sound of rocks _ping_ing around his room. A rock flew in the window and landed at his feet. A whisper-yell sounded from outside.

"Kili! Kili!"

"Fili?" Kili wondered as he stumbled to the window, just as a rock flew in.

"OUCH." Kili exclaimed as he rubbed the bruise from where the pebble had struck him. The pebbles stopped.

"Kili? You awake?"

"Yes- and my face hurts, thank you very much!"

"Well, yeah, sorry 'bout that."

Kili rolled his eyes.

"What do you want?"

"I'm gonna help you escape!"

Kili faltered. This was unexpected. His brother, the law-abiding citizen? What was he doing? But then Kili remembered. He had to get home- to where he belonged. He _didn't _belong in jail- he wasn't a criminal.

"Ok. So... what are we doing? How are we doing this?" Kili couldn't actually _see _his brother, but he could hear his soft breathing.

"Um..."

"Do you mean to tell me," Kili asked quietly, "that you showed up here _without a plan?" _

"Well... who am I kidding yes. BUT, I do have a small idea."

"Ready?" Fili adjusted his stance so he was balancing his weight perfectly.

"Ready." Kili agreed as he grabbed the frayed rope firmly.

Fili braced himself, then pulled the rope as hard as he could. Kili could feel the pull from the other side of the rope. He felt his feet lift off the ground. Fili pulled harder. His little brother was _heavy. _Kili was against the bars of the window now, the cold metal pressing against his skin. Fili could see his little brother against the bars. Now he just needed to pull him through the bars. Kili sucked his breath in, trying to make himself as small and as thin as possible. He needed to be free. He could taste the freshness of the air outside. It had been too long since he had seen the sky. Fili was seriously sweating by now- his brother was heavier than he anticipated. Then the tension on the rope dropped. Kili had slipped through the bars.

"Ouch. You could have been a little gentler, thanks very much."

"I just busted you out of jail. You could be a little more grateful!"

"I know." Kili tiredly admitted. He hugged his brother. "I love you so, so much. You know that right?"

Fili was speechless. He hugged his little brother back, feeling the warmth flood into him. The two of them stood there, hugging, when some one said "What do you two think you're doing?"

The two brothers stood there, like a deer caught in the headlights. The person who had addressed them was dressed like a police officer. She was holding a ridiculously bright lantern above her head.

"We... we..."

"Hold on." The woman had a look of realization cast across her face. "You're the king's nephews! We were looking for you!"

Kili's eyes widened. He had sudden visions of himself beating up the officer and making a break for it, him and his brother becoming wanted men. But before he could put his plan to action, Fili said,

"Why?"

"Thorin- or, should I say, the King- has bailed you out." She raised her eyebrows and glanced down at Kili. "However, you seemed to have escaped yourselves."

Fili felt his face glow red. He began to stammer an apology when Kili said

"It's not our fault I'm smaller than the window-bars!"

"So that's how you got out? Through the window?"

Kili nodded satisfactorily.

"So no damage to the cell?"

Fili shook his head.

"Well, we'll check that anyway. When did you two get out?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

"Your Uncle bailed you out this morning- so technically, if you haven't damaged the cell, you're not in trouble."

Fili sighed with relief, and heard his brother echo him. They exchanged tired smiles.

"Boys!" Dis was running towards them, Thorin jogging to keep up.

"Officer Yarley!" Thorin exclaimed. "I thought Kili wasn't due to be released until this afternoon!" Then, Thorin looked into the shadows again. "Fili?"

Fili nodded sheepishly.

"Your boys, it appears, have broken out of jail."

Dis' eyebrows shot up. "These two? Broken out?"

Fili and Kili murmured something quietly. Dis looked down at them disappointedly. Thorin smirked, and then grimaced as Dis elbowed him in the stomach. She hissed something about setting a good example.

Officer Yarley patted Kili on the head, and said "Keep out of trouble, kid."

* * *

><p>When they were back at home, Dis gave the boys a lecture. A very long and tedious lecture. Kili would've dropped to sleep if Thorin hadn't been doing some... well, <em>unflattering <em>impressions of Dis behind her back silently. Stifling laughter, Kili nodded in unison to Fili, who seemed to be agreeing to not pull another stunt of the sort. Dis looked down at her boys. Who was she kidding? She couldn't stay mad at these two cuties.

"Come here!" She smiled and gave them both a big hug. She felt Thorin join in, wrapping his arms around her and his nephews.

"Ok. Now off to bed, the two of you!" Dis dismissed her boys, and smiled fondly as they waddled off to their beds.

* * *

><p>Kili lay his head on the pillow. It had been a big day. He had spent a morning in jail and been rescued by his brother, and now he was tired. Very tired.<p>

"Night Kee." Fili said softly.

"Sweet dreams, Fee." Kili responded before he dropped into a comfortable sleep.


	11. The Watermelon

"Boys! Put that stuff down!" Dis commanded to no avail.

"Good day sir! How absolutely spiffing to see you!" Fili said, holding the monocle up to his eye and faking a posh air.

"Yes indeed! Absolutely marv... marvless!" Kili said, tilting the top hat towards Fili. With it on, he was at least 30cm taller.

"Marv-O-lous" Fili corrected.

"Whatever!" Kili playfully hit his brother on the shoulder.

"Oi! What're you doin'?" An angry voice said. "Leave my stuff alone!" The man snatched the hat off of Kili's head, and took the monocle off Fili. "No touchin' unless you're plannin' on buyin'."

The brothers walked off dejectedly, but couldn't stay annoyed for long. They were in a real market! Not a _dwarvish _market, but one run by men! The two brothers strayed away from their mother, who was trying to keep an eye on them and buy some carrots at the same time.

"Kili! Look over here!" Fili directed his brother's attention to a magnifying glass. He held it up to his face.

"Ah! Your eye is huge!"

"And so are you!" The two brothers marveled over the contraption.

"Fili! Look!" Kili dragged his brother to a stand with beautiful paintings on it. "It looks so real!" He pointed at the picture of a flower.

"Which one's your favourite, Fili? Mine's the pony. No! The dragon! Or the... Fili?" Kili felt his brother pull away from his grip. "Where are you going?"

FIli didn't answer. He seemed entranced by something Kili couldn't see."Kili.. look..."

"What is it? I wanna see!" Kili tried to jump as high as he could to see what Fili was staring so fixedly at, but the bustling crowd stopped him. Then, just for a second, the crowd parted, and he saw them.

They were beautiful. Their glossy, green skin shone bright in the morning sun. The pretty, mottled pattern was strangely alien to Kili. But he was intrigued.

There were more of them, more than Kili could count, piled on crates behind the glorious one that the boys were edging towards. They were large, almost two thirds of Kili's height. One was sliced up in from of the dwarflings, it's crisp pinky-red flesh making their mouths water.

"Fili... what is it?"

"It's a watermelon." A man with a heavy accent approached them. He had tanned skin, and it was obvious he wasn't from around these parts.

"A what?" Kili stood on his tippy-toes to get a closer look at it. He saw all the little shiny black seeds buried in the slightly translucent flesh. He saw the vibrant green shell fade into a clean white, then into the rich red colour. He felt... hungry...

"A watermelon." The man repeated, patting one like it was his pride and glory.

"What does it do?" Asked Fili, poking it warily. The man laughed.

"It's a fruit."

"Huh?" The only fruits Kili had ever eaten were apples and pears. They were small, soft colours with sweet white centres. Nothing like this monstrous lump.

"Do you want to try some?" The man asked as the two dwarflings stared at it quizzically.

Kili was about to accept vigorously when Fili pulled him aside, and said in a cautious whisper,

"Kili! Remember what mum said? Don't take food from a stranger!"

"But he says it's fruit! And fruit's healthy!"

"So? He could be lying! It doesn't look like fruit to me!"

Kili was about to argue again when he heard his mother calling for them.

"Boys! Fili! Kili!" Dis was trying to get her voice heard above the crowd.

"Mum! Over here!" Fili waved, and his mother saw. As she jogged over, Fili saw she had a bag brimming full of colourful fruit and vegetables, some of which he had never seen before.

"Mum! Look! A watermelon!" Kili pointed at the green fruit again.  
>"A watermelon?" Dis looked at it with about as much confusion as the two boys had. The man laughed.<p>

"So I take it you're local dwarves?"

"Oh- yes." Dis was snapped out of her confused trance.

"So you've never tried watermelon?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"Would you like to?"

"Please! Please, mummy!" Kili tugged at his mother's sleeve. His mouth was watering. Dis laughed at her son's enthusiasm.

"Ok then, but only a small piece! You don't want to ruin your dinner!"

Kili thought of the bleak pie waiting for them at home. He actually did want to ruin his dinner. Kili reached up at the table, but he was too short to reach the plate. The man chuckled and handed him down a piece.

"Here you go buddy. Would you like one?" He turned to Fili, who shyly accepted.

"And you, m'lady?" He held a piece out to Dis. She took it graciously.

"What do you say boys?" Dis said expectantly.

"Thank you!" Fili said politely.

Kili didn't wait to say thank you. He dug his teeth straight into the juicy fruit. Juice dripped down his chin. The sweet coolness exploded in his mouth, the soft flesh melting on his tongue. He really, really liked watermelon.

Fili looked over at his brother. Kili seemed to like the watermelon, given the way he was grinning maniacally as he munched at the , too, was nodding her head in approval.

"Not bad." She said between mouthfuls.

Fili looked at the piece in his hand. It was so tempting...

Juice began to drip down his wrist. He took a bite- not a big one, just a small, tentative one. Wow. This watermelon stuff was delicious!

Kili smiled as his brother took his first bite. He saw Fili's eyes light up. Kili looked down at the shred of watermelon that remained in his hand- the rind. He wondered if it tasted as good as the rest. He shrugged. You never know until you try.

The man who owned the shop was smiling at these three dwarves trying their first watermelon. They seemed to like it. Everyone here did. He had made a huge profit today. He was about to go attend to another customer when he saw the youngest dwarf preparing to bite down hard on the rind.

"Buddy? I wouldn't do that if..."

Kili brought his jaw down with force.

Ouch.


	12. The Dentist

"Open wide!"

Kili begrudgingly opened his mouth. He felt the cold metal against his gums. Even though he was wearing a blindfold, the light was still very, very bright. How on earth could elves conjure up something so bright?

"Hmm. I see. So tell me, what did you bite again?"

"A wa-er-me-on" Kili tried to speak, but the elf's gloved fingers got in the way.

"A watermelon? That's peculiar." commented the dentist.

"So is anything wrong?" Dis couldn't hide the anxiousness in her voice. Kili usually overdramatised things, but she was really worried that he was in severe pain because of the way he complained on the way home. She never took her boys to the dentist, especially not an elven one, because dwarves were meant to be fierce warriors- not people sitting in elven chairs, complaining how much their mouths hurt.

"No, no everything seems to be in order." The elf turned off the light and removed Kili's blindfold. The elf smiled down at Kili, his perfect teeth glinting. "Just be careful next time, small dwarf." Kili dismounted the uncomfortable chair and walked over to Dis and Fili. His mouth felt weird. His teeth still hurt though.

"How much do we owe you?" Dis pulled out her money-pouch.

"That'll be five silver pieces, thanks." The elf smiled and extended out his arm gratefully. "Although... I could give the other child a check-up for free if you wanted."

Fili tried to hide behind Dis. He didn't like people examining him like he was a science experiment. He thought Dis knew this.

"Um... sure! A little bit of dental hygiene can't hurt, can it Fili?" Dis prodded him forward.

"Perfect! Just get on this chair please, sir!" The elf directed him to the chair. Fili tentatively hopped on top.

"Now.. open wide!"

Fili pulled the blindfold down over his eyes and opened his mouth. The edges of it started to glow- the light had been turned on. He felt the strange instruments against his tongue, tapping against his teeth. He felt like gagging.

"Oh... oh dear..." He heard the elf mutter.

Fili wanted to see what was wrong, wanted to know, but the elf continued working as if nothing had happened. Fili started to talk but the elf stopped him.

"Hush now."

Behind the blindfold, Fili rolled his eyes. What was going on? Why was the dentist worried?

The elf took the instruments out of Fili's mouth for a second, so Fili seized the opportunity and yelled "What's wrong? Why did you say oh dear?"

"Is there a problem?" Dis asked.

"Well... it's just... come here, Ma'am."

Fili heard his mother's footsteps come closer to him, her boots making clicking noises against the white marble floor.

"You see this?" Fili felt the elf motion to one of his teeth. "That's a cavity."

"A what now?" Fili heard Kili scramble over and stick his head over the arm of the chair.

"A cavity. It's a hole in a tooth."

"How'dya do that Fee?" Kili asked incredulously.

"Kili! Don't be rude!" Fili heard Dis give Kili a small slap.

"Oh no- he didn't do it on purpose, little one." The elf chuckled softly. "You get cavities from eating too much sugar."

"Sugar?" It was Dis' turn to be surprised. "We don't eat sugar."

"No, fair maiden, sugar can be found in many things. Cakes... biscuits... most sweet things."

"But I don't eat many cakes or biscuits!" protested Fili.

"Except those honey cakes." piped in Kili.

"What?" Dis said. Fili felt a rush of guilt run over him. "What honey cakes, Fili?"

"Um..." Fili wished Kili hadn't brought that up. The one time he had disobeyed his mother and done something for his own enjoyment- his own _gluttony- _and it had backfired. Now he had a hole in his tooth.

"Kili? What are you talking about?" Dis turned around and asked her youngest instead.

"Remember Fee? When you ate all those honey cakes." FIli felt like kicking Kili, or telling him to shut up, or clamping his hand over his mouth. But he felt Dis' stern gaze turn to him.

"Fili?"

"I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you- Mrs Avin from next door gave us honey cakes... and I ate... a few too many."

He heard Dis sigh reproachfully.

"What you did was wrong, Fili. You know that?"

"Yes, mum."

"And this is where your greediness has gotten you."

"I know, mum, I'm sorry."

Dis turned to the elf. "Is there anything you can do?"

The elf shrugged. "I can't fix it. But I can fill the hole."

* * *

><p>"Fee... wake up Fee!"<p>

Fili groggily opened his eyes. Kili was hovering over him, smiling widely. He shook away the sleep, but he still felt like there were clouds in his head. The elf had had to give him a special potion to make him fall asleep- he didn't understand why, although he had remembered something about the fact that he was 'only a dwarfling'.

"You ok, Fee?" Kili pulled his brother into a sitting position. Fili nodded. Ouch. He had a headache.

"Kili! Get away..." Dis trailed off, and her anxious face broke into a smile. "Fili! You're awake!"

"Yeah..." Fili said softly. Talking felt _weird. _

"Don't worry, child, the side effects will soon wear off." The elf helped Fili out of his chair and gently nudged him out of the room. "Now you children wait out here whilst your mother finishes the payment."

When they were outside, and out of earshot of the elf, Kili said "Elves are kinda weird."

"I know!" Fili said quietly.

"He looks really calm." Added Kili. Fili shot a quick sideways glance at Kili.

"Ok."

"Can I see?"

"What?" Fili turned his head sharply, but instantly regretted it. _OW._

"The fill."

"I think it's actually called a filling-"

"Who cares!" Kili laughed loudly, but he instantly apologised when he saw Fili grimace. "Have you got a headache?"

"Yeah."

Kili leant in and whispered, "Can I see?"

Fili laughed. "Sure." He tilted his head backwards and opened his mouth wide.

"Woah."

"Wha?" Fili tried to talk without closing his mouth.

Kili smiled. "It looks kinda funny... it's blue."

"WHAT?" Fili clamped his mouth shut and stared at Kili incredulously. His head throbbed in response.

"Just kidding!" Kili stood up as Dis walked out of the room.

Fili smirked. He didn't understand it, but right at this moment, as he sat outside the elven dentist, his head throbbing in pain, he felt an inexplicable and overwhelming sense of pride and love for his little brother. He made himself a little promise- one he would never forget, even as he grew older- as he got up to follow Dis and Kili. He promised himself that he would always, always, _always _belong with his brother.


	13. The Sleepover

Fili felt so isolated... even though he was surrounded by people.

"Fili! Earth to Fili!" One of the other dwarves said mockingly. Fili heard a few sniggers throughout the group.

"Sorry? What was that?"

"We were just talking about how you don't really hang out with us much." Another dwarfling said.

"Well..."

"Yeah! Why don't you come to the classes?"

Fili didn't know how to explain. He didn't know how to tell the boys that he wasn't interested in fishing classes, even if it was run by the same person who ran all their mothers' tapestry classes. That's how they all knew each other- their mothers all attended the same tapestry class. And all these boys attended the fishing class.

"I just don't like fishing."

"How can you not like fish?"

Fili rolled his eyes. These boys were so... _boring. _All they talked about was fishing, or how great their fathers were, or sometimes even girls. Yeuch. Fili heard someone yell something controversial from the back of the room, and _another _brawl broke out. He sighed and straightened out his sleeping bag. He hadn't been to a sleepover before, and he wasn't really having the time of his life here. He settled down, the warm sheepskin sparing him from the cold wooden floor. An unexpected silence broke out. Fili guessed the argument had settled down.

"What should we do?" A young dwarfling who looked just as out-of-place as Fili did piped in. If Fili were at home, he and Kili would be telling stories. Acting out heroic scenes. Slaying the imaginary beast and saving all the imaginary townsfolk.

"Hey! Durin!" someone yelled from Fili's left. "What do we do?"

"We could... tell stories, I guess..." Fili felt stupid the moment the words left his mouth. A few boys chuckled.

"Very funny, Durin." A boy called Rasgar guffawed. Fili felt his cheeks glow red with embarrassment.

"Well, what do _you _propose we do?" Fili retorted defensively. He had never really liked Rasgar. He was too... arrogant.

"Well I was thinking we could talk about girls." _Well well well_. What a controversial statement. A murmured conversation broke out from the twelve or so dwarves that were there. Fili heard snippets of sentences that jogged his memory- that's right, Rasgar had recently been courting a young dwarf lass. Fili thought it was absolutely incredulous that any boy his age should have a relationship like _that _with a girl. Ew. They were only twelve.

Nonetheless, a small conversation was kindled. Then came Fili's turn.

"So... do you have a girlfriend?"

"No." Fili had not shame in admitting that.

"A crush?"

"No!"

"Guys, cut it out. As if Durin has any friends at all, let alone _girl_friends." THAT was too much. A few jaws dropped. Rasgar was still standing there smugly.

"Hey!" Fili stood up, his sleeping bag falling down either side of him. In the almost darkness, he could see Rasgar stepping towards him menacingly.

"Come _on _Durin. Tell me who your friends are. Kili? Little _Kee?" _teased Rasgar.

Fili opened his mouth, and closed it again. Did he have any friends?

"Ha. Told you." Rasgar turned away triumphantly.

Fili felt tears well in his eyes.

"So what if Kili's my friend?" He heard his soft little voice in his head. _I belong with my brother._

"Brothers aren't friends! They're just... brothers. You don't _like_ brothers." stated Rasgar matter-of-factly.

"You're right. I don't _like _Kili. I love him." Fili felt the words tumble out.

"Aw! Isn't that _cute. _Little Fili LOVES his little brother." Rasgar mocked.

"Shut up!" Fili felt his face glow red. Redder than before.

"Pathetic, Durin. You'll never be a true dwarf. More of an elf, I say. Imagine that! The heir to the throne of Durin- an elf! Pathetic." Rasgar shook his head in shame.

"What did you say about my nephew?" A booming voice came from the doorway. Thorin Oakenshield himself stood there, his majestic silhouette facing the young dwarflings.

"Sir! I didn't see you there!" Rasgar stammered. Fili felt a small sense of satisfaction.

"I know. I can tell by how disgustingly obnoxious you were being to Fili." Thorin said, with a hint of malice behind his words. He then proceeded to walk over to Fili, stepping over the others as if they were nothing.

"Uncle? What are you doing here?"

"You need to come home, Fili."

"Why?"

"I'll... I'll tell you outside." Thorin patted Fili on the back and led him out of the room full of speechless dwarflings. Fili tried and failed to suppress a smirk. There were perks to being the heir to the throne.

As Thorin helped Fili onto the pony, Fili asked, " So? Why do I need to come home?"

Even though he couldn't see his face, Fili knew Thorin was smiling gently. "Well, number 1- you didn't look too happy at that place."

Fili smiled in agreement as Thorin hoisted himself up and shook the reigns. "And number 2- well, Kili's never spent a night without you by his side, and- and he refuses to go to sleep if you're not there."

Fili, who was holding Thorin from behind to keep himself from falling off the moving pony, felt himself get all warm and fuzzy. He couldn't help but smile as the inky blackness of the night closed around them.

* * *

><p>"We're home!" Thorin opened the door just in time for Fili to see Kili rush at him. He was then knocked over by the force of his brother's hug.<p>

"I missed you Fee!" said Kili softly, with a slight waver to his voice. Was he... _crying?_

"I missed you too, Kee." Fili slowly broke out of the hug and looked at brother. There was the tell-tale red tinge of crying in the corner of his eyes.

"Sorry if I pulled you away from your fun sleeping party." Kili said a little sheepishly.

"Nah- it's ok." Fili tousled Kili's hair. "We weren't having fun anyway."

**Ok so I hope you liked it... if you have any ideas for fics that I should do (another Chronicle, or anything unrelated) please tell me!**


	14. The Tribute

"Mum- stop! I don't want to wear _make up!" _Kili pushed Dis away as she approached him with her powdery traditional make-up.

"Kili! Stop squirming! You have to wear make-up or you'll look washed out under the spotlight!" Dis argued, trying once again to apply the powder to her son's face. Whilst Kili _did _like the idea of being in the spotlight, he did NOT want to wear make up. That just wasn't majestic at all.

Fili walked in, his face caked with the powder Dis was applying to Kili now. His lips had also been painted a more vibrant shade of pink. Kili stifled a laugh, but stopped when Fili said, "You look like this too."

Kili groaned. He didn't know why this show was such a big deal. It was only a tribute to Erebor. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the wall. He looked terribly pasty. Dis was now trying to run a brush through his unruly hair.

"Ouch!"

"Hold still, Kili!" Dis tugged at the brush harder until a clump of dark brown hair was dislodged and freed.

"OUCH!" Kili yelled and hopped off the chair, rubbing his head in pain. Fili walked to his side and gave him a nervous grin. Was he taking this _seriously_?

The music outside started. Someone placed a cardboard crown on Fili's head, and a poorly sewn red cape on Kili's shoulders. He saw the dwarfling who was supposed to be Smaug slip their shiny wings over their arms. The lights came on beyond the curtain that Fili and Kili were standing at. A pitchy voice that belonged to a young dwarf lass began to narrate the epic quest that was about to be reenacted before the audience.

"Us dwarves we live in Erebor,

The finest city you've ever saw,

We're happy with how our lives are spent

For it is mining that makes us content" recited a young dwarf, his voice soft and high. Kili knew this boy to be called Barli, and he was very small and very huggable.

"And then along came the dragon Smaug,

Worse than any orc or warg," the female narrator continued, and the boy dressed up as Smaug went onstage, his shining outfit provoking many oohs and ahs from the audience. Kili wondered how many were out there, watching the play intently, awaiting his grand entry.

"Against the great dragon we fought,

But it was our treasure he sought." Barli continued, a note of terror in his voice as he ran away from Smaug-boy, who was chasing the several actors around the stage.

"I'll fight for you, noble subjects!" Kili hadn't noticed Fili had slipped away from him. He could hear his voice through the curtain, pretending to be Thror, their grandfather. A few seconds later, a polite round of applause started. A few thuds of cardboard hitting cardboard later, there were a few gasps.

"Alas! Alack!" Cried Barli. That was Kili's cue.

"I'll save you!" He stepped out into the light in front of the curtain. It was bright- Kili almost felt glad Dis had painted him with make-up. He looked into the audience and saw many faces he recognised. There were a few people he liked, and some he didn't like at all, but in the middle, on a chair of honour, was Thorin, with Dis by his side. Dis smiled and waved at Kili, and Thorin gave an approving nod. Kili beamed. After all, he was pretending to be Thorin himself.

"Come at me, foul beast!" Kili turned to Smaug-boy, who was running at him. Kili drew out his cardboard sword and swung it at him, just missing him, which earned him a scowl from Smaug-boy.

More carefully this time, Kili swung another blow, and Smaug-boy took the cardboard sword from him.

"Oh no! Fall back men, fall back!

But don't be deceived, we'll come back!" Cried Kili, grabbing Fili by the arm and hoisting him out of the way as Smaug-boy started throwing balls of orange paper at them. Kili thought that Thorin could have easily defeated Smaug if his only defense was paper, but his teacher was adamant that it was _fire. _

"Oh look! How cute!" someone called out from the front row. Kili turned around. That wasn't in the script.

"Little baby Durin and his little brother working together." Kili scowled at whoever it was that was insulting Fili and him. He couldn't see properly, but he knew he had seen this kid's face before...

Fili looked up, and stopped pretending to be injured. Rasgar was leering at him from the front row. Oh dear. Fili straightened himself up. He expected someone to reprimand Rasgar, but no response came. _They must think it's part of the play... _

"Listen here, Rasgar, I-"

"Aren't you meant to be hurt, King _Thror? _Your majesty?" Rasgar mocked. "You're just a faker. Your whole family is." A few gasps arose from the audience. _That_ was a controversial thing to say in front of the King under the mountain. Thorin stood up.

"Rasgar, there's no need to be rash." Fili, ever the diplomat, tried to reason with him. "Now please stop insulting my family and let us get on with the play, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Rasgar challenged. When Fili said nothing, Rasgar said, "That's what I thought. You'll never be a king- you're just a piece of-" But Fili never got to find out what he was a piece of, because something had just zoomed past him and flung itself off the stage at Rasgar.

"Kili!" Dis yelled as she saw him jump on top of Rasgar and knock him off balance. Rasgar, now lying on the floor, was screaming like a young girl and thrashing his legs about wildly as he tried to pull Kili off. He hadn't expected a small child to fling himself at him.

"Don't- be- mean- to- my- BROTHER!" Kili wrestled himself free of Rasgar's grip, and stood above him. "Now listen. I know Fili's not perfect. But you're less perfect than him. You've got a big nose and you talk too loudly." Began Kili. Fili groaned. Kili was just making the situation worse.

"But also," Kili added as an afterthought, "You're rude. And mean. You had no reason to be rude to Fili, or me, or Uncle. Or anyone. You know what? You're just jealous." decided Kili. "Jealous of me because I have such an amazing brother, or an amazing Uncle, or an amazing family. Jealous because you don't have what we have. But that is no reason to say such horrible things. You see, the things is, with the Durins, if you pick a fight with one of them, you get a fight with all of them." Thorin nodded in agreement, and Dis smiled proudly. Not many other adults looked so pleased with the situation. "So don't be mean to Fili, because even though he can be a wuss, I'll come after you, and you should be afraid of me."

"ha! You said he's a wuss." mumbled Rasgar.

"So? I'll admit that he has flaws, like he's a bit of a nerd, and he's not very strong," listed Kili. "But he'll admit my flaws too- like I'm loud, and today was the first time I brushed my hair in six months."

Rasgar looked momentarily impressed.

"But anyway- the point is it doesn't matter how many faults someone has, you shouldn't pick on them- _especially _not my brother." finished Kili triumphantly.

An unexpected round of applause arose from the audience. Kili beamed. He turned and saw Fili smiling at him and- were theres _tears _in his eyes? Kili ran onstage and gave him a huge hug. A few sighs of joy came from the audience. Thorin strode up to the stage, and scooped the two boys into his arms.

And there they stood- the heirs of Durin, the most majestic line of all dwarves, irrepressible smiles plastered on their faces, facing a cheering crowd- some say they were never as united again.

"Hey- Kili."

"Yeah?" Kili whispered back. He felt rebellious. They weren't meant to be talking- Dis had already put them to bed.

"Do you really think I'm a wuss?"

"Maybe just a little one. But that's ok."

"I'll tell you what- if you do target practice with me and teach me to shoot, I'll teach you how to write runes."

"Ok!"

Fili turned over and was about to drift into sleep, when something forced him back awake.

"Wait- _six months?"_

But Kili was already asleep.


	15. The Target Practice

"Just throw it already!"

"Kili! Thorin says we can't use weapons unless he's in the room!" Fili protested.

"Come on, Fee! Where's your sense of adventure?" Kili smirked, holding the target higher. "Go on- I dare you!"

Fili felt a wash of unease rush over him. He knew he shouldn't throw the knife, but... he kind of wanted to. He raised the knife. Kili beamed bigger, waiting for his brother to hit the target. Kili hadn't even thought of the possibility of it hitting him. Fili sighed- he wished he could be as carefree as Kili. He looked at his 8-year-old brother standing there, a target hoisted high above his head, a smile plastered on his face. A challenging smile.

"Fine."

He raised the knife, even though all his common sense told him not to. Kili _was _teaching him to be a 'fearless warrior', after all.

He aimed the tip of the knife at the centre of the target. He heard the pounding of Thorin's footsteps in the hallway. _Quick!_

He threw the dagger with all his might as Thorin opened the door. He didn't know why. He was caught off guard- as, unfortunately, was Kili. He had lowered the target slightly, so the knife went deep into the top end, but the momentum and force from the dagger was so strong that the target, knife and all, can crashing down on Kili.

"KILI!" Thorin bellowed, pushing Fili aside to get to him. Fili watched as Thorin cast aside the wooden target and picked up his nephew. Fili gulped. Kili's arm was dangling over Thorin's. It was limp.

Thorin had refused to go to an elvish doctor, even if they were better with medicine, so Dis, him and Fili were now all waiting in a dwarvish hospital for Kili. Thorin hadn't spoken to Fili since the incident. Fili could tell Thorin had seen him throw it, and if Kili was seriously injured, he knew Thorin would blame him. He felt a rising sense of nausea inside him as he pictured his little brother, lying deathly still, on the hospital bed. Kili's forehead had a brilliant purple bruise right in the middle, and he still hadn't woken up. Fili didn't know how long it had been- maybe half an hour? Fili felt an awful guilty feeling whenever he thought about it- that target was so heavy, and he knew that, but he still threw that knife even though he knew it would have no good consequences. The door to Kili's room opened. A dwarvish woman stepped out. She was wearing the traditional black outfit, and the silver crest of Durin was on her shirt- a dwarvish doctor's uniform. She beckoned Thorin over and whispered to him hurriedly, her round face fraught with worry. Thorin's low grunts of agreement echoed through the otherwise silent hall. Fili felt his heart jump up to his throat, worry chewing at his brain. Was Kili ok?

Thorin turned around and looked Fili directly in the eye. Fili could see the anger and shame and worry buried inside him as he smiled grimly and motioned him over. Fili got up tentatively and crept over to his Uncle.

"Would you like to see your brother?" Fili couldn't detect any sympathy in his Uncle's voice. There was no reason for there to be.

"Yes please!" Fili, despite the gnawing guilt inside him, felt a flutter of happiness. _Kili was ok._

The room was painted with very earthy tones. A warm fire crackled before Fili, making shadows dance around the room. There was a bed in front of the fire, at a comfortable distance. On this bed there were many thick blankets- knitted ones, animal skins, even some foreign silks- and a small dwarfling absolutely swathed in them. Kili's eyes were closed, and his face was at peace. His knotty brown hair was splayed around his head like a halo. The braids Dis had tied for him this morning were still in.

"Kili. Wake up. Some one's here to see you!" the dwarf nurse said. Kili slowly and groggily opened his eyes, a faint smile creeping across his face.

"Who... is it?" Kili asked, his eyes settling on the nurse, who gestured with her hand at Fili.

"Fee?" Kili turned his head, closing his eyes again. Fili walked towards him, shaking slightly, wanting to wrap his brother in a tight hug and apologise, but with Thorin's keen eye on him it just didn't seem right.

"I'm right here, Kee."

"You did it Fee." Kili smiled sleepily. "You threw the knife!"

Fili smiled guiltily. He felt Thorin's big hand lightly squeeze his shoulders.

"I believe an apology is in order, Fili." reminded Thorin.

"What?" asked Kili.

"Oh- Fili needs to apologise for hurting you."

"No he doesn't. He did what I asked. It's my fault I got hurt." Kili stared vacantly at Thorin.

"But-"

"It's ok." Kili turned his gaze slightly. "Fili?" He stretched out his hand, which Fili stepped forward and held.

"Look. I'm sorry-" began Fili. Kili silenced him with a wave of his hand.

"By my beard, Fee, didn't you hear anything I just said?" Kili laughed.

"By your beard?" asked Fili, looking questioningly at Kili's beard-free chin. Kili raised his eyebrows at Thorin, who looked momentarily sheepish, but generally impressed.

"I see I've been using that expression a lot lately." he admitted.

"Yes- that and another one mum says I shouldn't repeat." Kili nodded. Thorin blushed. Fili laughed. The dwarf nurse shot a confused glance at Thorin, who had by now regained his kingly air and dismissed the comment with a laugh.

"You ok, Kee?" Fili asked.

"Yep!" Kili nodded enthusiastically, then grimaced in pain. "Ok- maybe not yet."

* * *

><p>"Kili- for the last time, you can't go out in public like that."<p>

"I can if I want to, Fee." argued Kili from beneath the pillow. Fili sighed.

"You won't be able to breathe!"

"So be it!" Kili adjusted the strap tethering the pillow to his head.

"It won't make your head hurt less- you know that right?"

"Oh no, dear Fili, this isn't to lessen the pain, it's to protect my head."

Fili smiled challengingly. "What- are you afraid of getting hurt?"

Kili was caught off guard. "No, but-"

"Then take off the pillow."

"But-"

"Go on- I dare you."

Kili smiled defeatedly.

"Fine."

**Author's Note: Hi guys! I just wanted to say thank you for reading my Chronicles- all 6289 of you! This may not sound like many views but it's a lot to me and it means so much. So THANK YOU!**

**I'll post a new chapter soon. Yet again, if you have any ideas for chapters, please let me know in the review section!**

**Bye!**


	16. The Map

"You _what?"_

"We took a wrong turn about... here." Kili jabbed his finger onto the paper map.

"No. _You _took a wrong turn."

"So did you!"

"Well you had the map!" Fili snapped. Kili made a hurt little comment that Fili didn't quite catch. Kili looked back down at the map. It was hand drawn by Thorin, his round yet solid handwriting entailing how they _must, _at all times, follow the path. And as Fili looked down at the foliage and dead leaves beneath his feet, he realized his brother had stopped him from doing just that. The stone path was long gone.

"Look, Kee, I don't really _care _right now who got us lost- though it was obviously you- I just care about getting... _unlost." _Fili raised his eyebrows, and shrugged. He was trying to hide the annoyance.

"Hmmmm... ok!" Kili smiled happily- he seemed to have thought Fili had forgiven him. _Pft. _As if.

"So... according to the map, we go left-" Kili began to run off somewhere when Fili grabbed the map from him.

"Give me that."

"Hey!"

"I'm not letting you get us lost again! We've already been gone long enough!" Fili started down at the map. He sighed. It seemed that the map Thorin had provided them with wasn't... geographically accurate. He had said to stay on the path, and come back soon, but he hadn't counted on Kili following every bend and curve of the line he had drawn until they got lost. If Fili closed his eyes, he could see where they went wrong- Kili had his head buried in the map, and was towing Fili along beside him. There was a fork in the path- or what Fili had thought was a fork. Kili had insisted they went down the left trail- the map had a tiny bump to the left of the line. The left trail must have just been a gap in the trees. Come to think of it, Thorin probably just jolted a little when he was drawing the line. And now, Fili was lost in the woods with no food and a dodgy map. Oh- and a strong-willed little dwarfling who insisted that he was right. Fili sighed- again.

"Do you think mum knows we're lost?" enquired Kili.

"I don't know, Kee."  
>"And Thorin? Do you reckon he misses us?"<p>

"I have absolutely no idea."

"What if they never find us?" Kili's playful tone turned more small and vulnerable. "What if we're lost in here forever?"  
>Fili looked down at his little brother, who was now staring up at him, his eyes wide with fear. "Now that will <em>never <em>happen." Fili said, but Kili wasn't convinced. A small tear rolled down his cheek.

"No- no Kee, don't cry, I-" Fili was just making this worse for himself. Why could he never handle Kili? He couldn't blame himself- even Dis had trouble with her youngest. The only person that Kili _always _listened to was Thorin. But Fili wasn't Thorin.

"Fee, I wanna go home! I don't want to die!" Kili was now crying shamelessly in the middle of the wood.

"Ok, um..." What made Kili listen to Thorin? It wasn't because he was a king- Kili didn't respect authority much. It wasn't because he was related, because then he would have to listen to Dis as well.

Fili thought of all the times Thorin had persuaded Kili to do something... and then he had it. Thorin had the ability to weave a story around a predicament until Kili became the hero and saved something. Like the time that Kili was convinced he was a bird and wanted to fly from the highest tree in the forest, and Thorin made up a tale about the ground people being offended that their prince was leaving them. Or the time that Kili became overly fond of the lamb that they were going to be having for dinner , and Thorin told him that 'Billy' had died in 'lamb battle' and he would have wanted them to eat him. So Fili closed his eyes and tried to fathom a story that could get Kili to quieten down and follow him out of the forest.

"Fili, I don't want to die, but I need to tell you something."

"Ok...?"

"You know how Nori's hair got cut? By someone? Well he was asleep, and he had so much hair, so I-"

"Oh Kili. You didn't."

"I did! I'm so sorry!" Kili's tears started rolling again. Great. His brother was so convinced they were going to die that he was confessing to cutting Nori's hair. Fili took a deep breath. He was just going to let that go, and get them out of the forest. He looked up. The sky was a vivid pinky purple. It was almost sundown.

"Kili! Did you hear that?"

Kili sniffled. "Hear what?"

"That! There it was again!" Fili theatrically cupped his hand around his ear and listened intently. For what? Well, he hadn't quite decided yet.

"There's nothing there, Fee. This forest must be driving you mad." Kili shook his head.

"No! I swear! There is something there!" Fili tried to amp up the act. He was doing everything ridiculously melodramatically.

"Oh! I just heard it!" Kili's eyes opened wide in realization. He stared at Fili intently. Fili stared back. _Oh. _He hadn't expected to get this far.

"What is it?" asked Kili. Fili half expected to start sweating- he didn't like being caught lying. And he wasn't great at impromptu acting either.

"Um, it's a-"

"IT'S A DRAGON!" Kili yelled in surprise. Fili nodded slowly.

"Yes. Yes it is."

"We have to kill it!"

"Hey- steady. Calm down!"

Kili picked up a lethal-sized stick and brandished it in Fili's face. Fili dropped to the floor to avoid being impaled. Kili was now jumping up and down. Getting pumped for the battle, Fili assumed. Wait- no. There was to be _no _battle. He just needed to motivate Kili to get out of the forest with him. Well, at least Kili wasn't a teary mess anymore. He was now a battle-ready warrior. He had picked some mud up off of the ground, and was streaking his face with it. War paint. Fili grimaced. Mud was so... unhygienic.

"Come on, Fee!" Kili grabbed him by the wrist, and towed him in what seemed to be a randomly selected direction.

"Do you know where we're going?" Fili tried to keep up with his younger brother.

"To slay the dragon!"

"Um... well..." Fili felt a little guilty. But Kili genuinely believed there was a dragon. And that was ok... right?

* * *

><p>The trees were thinning out. Fili could see his brother up ahead, still running as fast and energetically as he had been 10 minutes ago, when they started. The sky was now a misty, dark blue-grey colour. A few stars peeked through the black web of tree branches that formed a canopy above Fili.<p>

"Come _ON _Fee! We're almost there!"

"Kili, I should tell you something-" How should he break it to him? Be blunt? Or take a round about approach? He was forming a careful speech in his head.

_Kili- I should have told you earlier, but there is no dragon. Lord knows what you've been chasing after, thinking it was a dragon, but I should stop you now before we get deeper into the wood. _Wait... deeper? The trees were becoming more sparse. They must be nearing the edge of the forest. It may be easier to find someone to contact then.

"See Fee? I told you I'd find it!"

Fili sighed as he caught up to Kili. "Kili- I should have told you earlier, but-" Fili trailed off. They were standing where they had started at the absolute start of the day. The start of the trail. A few sparkling lights shone in the distance- the dwarves' residence.

"Kili! You found the way back- how? I thought you were chasing the dragon?" Fili felt a relieved smile creep onto his face.

"Don't worry Fili, I know the truth. There was no dragon." Kili smiled up at his brother, his tiredness shining through.

"Then- how did you find the way out? If you weren't chasing a random sound- what were you doing?"

Kili shrugged. "I kind of knew the way out. I remembered some bits." Kili momentarily looked at the map and yawned. "There was a lot of guessing, too."

"But- you were convinced we were going to die! And then you turned into this energetic little ball of enthusiasm- why'd you change your mind?"

"I needed some... incentive." Kili smiled a little.

"A dragon?"

"No- my brother making up a story just to make me feel better." Kili hesitated, then hugged Fili.

"Oh- um..." Fili hesitantly hugged Kili back.

"We should go back to Uncle and mum. They'll probably be missing us."

"Oh... ok..." Fili watched as Kili ran back to the houses. A door flung open and Dis ran out and accepted Kili into an embrace. She spied Fili, and started out towards him, her arms spread in a welcoming hug.

"Mum!"

"Fili! Are you ok?" She squeezed him tightly. "You were gone a while."

"I... I just..."

"Yeah, honey?"

"Did you know Kili is actually pretty good at geography?"

**The idea for this fic actually came from the user . Thanks so much for this and all your other ideas!**


	17. The Crush

"Are you ok, Fili?" Kili slowly opened the door. Fili was sitting on the bed, his head in his hands.

"Yeah... I guess..." Fili's response sounded breathy.

"Really?" Kili sat on his bed, opposite to Fili's. Fili cast a weary glance at Kili, smiling a little. He was impressed at how much his brother had learnt to read him over the last few years. There was nothing he could hide from Kili, and Kili couldn't hide anything from him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as his eight year old brother gave him a comforting glance.

"No... I guess not." Fili straightened himself up. He was thirteen now- he should try and confide in his brother a little more. "Its just... I haven't been getting much sleep."

"Why?"

"Someone's been keeping me up at night- I can't stop thinking about them."

"It's not Rasgar is it? Fili, I know he's annoying, but you shouldn't let it bother you."

"It's not _him._" Fili took a deep breath. "As a matter of fact, it's not a _him _at all."

"It's a girl?" Kili raised an eyebrow. In his eight-year-old mind, girls were not something to worry about.

"Yeah... I don't know. You wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't I?" Kili smiled a little. Fili had to admit, Kili had been trying to act more mature for the last few months. Maybe he should trust him a little more... after all, he needed to tell _someone. _

"Ok. So there's this girl. Adra. And... I don't know what it is about her, but... I think I like her a little bit."

"You've made a new friend! Epic!" Kili's eyes lit up. A pang of frustration went through Fili. He had known Kili wouldn't understand.

"No... not like _that..." _But Fili trailed off when he saw Kili smirking smugly. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything!" Kili shrugged.

"You're mocking me. I can tell."

"No I'm not! There's nothing wrong with being friends with a girl."

"We're actually... not friends yet."

"Then why do you care so much about her?"

"Have you ever... had a crush?" Fili leaned back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling absentmindedly. Kili scoffed a little.

"A crush? No! Crushes are silly!" Kili giggled. Fili scowled and closed his eyes. He then heard Kili give a little gasp of realisation.

"_You _have a crush on _her!_"

"Duh."

"Sorry Fee! I've just... never really had a crush."

"I knew it. You _don't _understand." Fili rolled over so his back was facing Kili. He felt irrationally angry at his little brother for no reason. He hated being angry- especially at Kili.

"Look- Fee, I'm sorry. And I think it's... _sweet _that you like this Adra lady." Fili could tell that Kili was forcing out an apology.

"Just... forget it. Forget I ever told you. It doesn't matter."

"Are you kidding me? Of course it matters!" Well. That was something Fili hadn't expected to hear.

"What on earth do you mean?"

"Young love must be nurtured!"

"Are you kidding me? You're making a fool of me." Fili sat up and glared at Kili, only to find him genuinely smiling back. Not a mocking smile- an I'm-happy-for-you smile.

"What would you know about young love?"

"I loved someone once."

"What? I thought you said you'd never had a crush."

"Oh Fili- this was no crush."

"Kili. What on earth are you talking about?"

"It's name was-"

"_It?"_

"It's name was Snuffy. A marvelous specimen, was Snuffy."

"Kili. Snuffy is a goat."

"So? I loved Snuffy, and I had to let Snuffy go."

"Kili! You absolute weirdo!"

Kili laughed. "I'm just kidding, Fee! Trying to ease the tension!"

Fili felt a wave of annoyance. Of course Kili was just kidding. He never took anything seriously. Kili just couldn't see that Fili was maybe seriously in love. He was just so... immature. Fili should have never have told him.

"Just forget I ever told you. Leave me alone." Fili shooed Kili away, who was still laughing at his own joke.

"Hey! Fee! Don't be rude, I'm just trying to help."

"Kili- don't you see? You can't help! You... you... YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Fili hadn't meant for the last bit to come out as a yell, but it certainly did the trick. Kili backed away slowly, almost fearfully, shaking his head a little.

"I can help. And I will prove it."

"Wait! Kili, no, don't-"

But it was too late. Kili had already left.

It was Sunday afternoon. That meant Youth Group, where everyone under the age of sixteen in the community had to gather and 'bond'- aka nibble tentatively on the food and make forced conversation with strangers. Usually, it wasn't that bad, because Fili and Kili would just muck around and have fun. But tonight, Fili couldn't stand the idea of going to Youth Group and being in the same room as Kili and Adra at the same time. After some fruitless protesting, Fili was sent down to the meeting hall by Dis. Kili had been at a friend's house, and would meet him down there. On the way, Fili kicked at the dirt and scowled. This wasn't going to be fun _at all._

"Fee! Wait up!" Kili's young voice rang out from behind Fili, almost making him jump. He was running towards him with another dwarf about the same age closely behind.

"Hi."

"Fili, this is Durlim. Durlim, this is Fili, my brother. I was just at Durlim's house."

Fili nodded towards Durlim as a way of greeting, but stopped. There was something awfully familiar about Durlim's dusty red hair...

"Guys! Slow down!" A female voice called from the distance. Was it...? No. It couldn't be!

"Oh yeah! Fili, Durlim's older sister is coming to Youth Group too. I believe you know Adra?" Kili smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Sure enough, it was Adra emerging out of the shadows, her rust-red hair falling out of the braid. Fili's stomach leapt. She was very pretty. It was a shame, he thought, that dwarf women seemed to grow more and more masculine as they got older- what with the beards and all.

"Oh! Fili! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Ha ha... yeah!" Fili grimaced. He was terrible at this.

"Well... shall we?"

"Um, sure!"

The following stroll was very awkward. No one seemed to want to talk. Adra was staring absentmindedly at the purply sky above them, and Fili was sneaking glances at her. Kili was staring intently at his brother. Durlim just looked lost.

When they finally arrived, Youth Group was well underway. The stale biscuits and cups of lukewarm milk had already been laid out, and the general awkward murmurs of conversation were erupting from all around Fili.

"So... Fili... would you care to get us drinks?" Kili elbowed Fili and winked slowly and exaggeratedly.

"Oh. Sure." Adra giggled a little. Fili blushed. He hurried away to a table across the room and picked four mugs of milk. He felt Kili take two from him.

"Everything going ok?"

"Never better!" Fili laughed nervously.

"I was talking to Durlim. He says-" Kili's jaw dropped.

"What? What is it?" But as soon as he looked up, Fili saw exactly what Kili was gawking at. Adra was standing there, exactly as they had left her, but there was an arm wrapped around her waist. What? As they moved closer, Fili saw that there was someone holding her in a sort of half embrace and laughing with her animatedly. No... she couldn't already have a boyfriend, could she?

"Ah! Durin!"

_NO NO NO NO NO. Of all the boyfriends she could have, NOT this one._

"Ah... Rasgar."

"Oh! Fili, it appears you already know my boyfriend, Rasgar!"

"All too well..." Fili muttered. Of course. It was only a month or two ago that Rasgar had found himself a new girlfriend. This was ridiculous- Rasgar was only fourteen!

"Hey. Watch your mouth, Durin." Rasgar pointed an accusing finger. Kili stepped forward, an intense look that Fili had never seen before plastered on his face.

"Hey! Keep that little... that little _imp _away from me."

To Kili's delight, the bruise from where he had knocked Rasgar was still faintly there. Adra looked disgustedly at Rasgar.

"Don't be rude! Kili's a lovely little fellow!"

"But he..." Rasgar never got to finish his plea, because Kili's determined angry face had been replaced by a perfectly angelic smile. Fili had to admit- his brother was very charming, and with _just_ the right smile, he could wrap someone around his finger. Unfortunately, all it did was make Adra scowl momentarily at Rasgar. That was it. A scowl. No fighting. No break-up. No realising Fili was the true love of her life. Kili's face fell.

"Well, we should be going." Fili announced.

"What? Why?" Adra took a step towards him, but Rasgar held her back.

"Um... chores." Fili shrugged, and pulled Kili towards the door. The moment they were out in the open air, Fili took a sharp left and sat down next to the door. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Fee... I'm so sorry..."

"What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything." Fili tried to make his tone soft and gentle, but the hurt shone through. Kili sat down next to him.

The night air was crisp and cold, and Fili just wanted to curl up into a ball. He could feel the warmth of Kili pressed up against him as the two brothers sat in silence. Fili knew he should go home, but he didn't want to be asked why he left Youth Group early. So instead, he just sat there.

He couldn't explain the odd emptiness he felt. It was like... someone had closed up a little bit of his air passageway, so it was harder to breathe, and with each breath less and less air was inside him. He knew he was only thirteen, but...

Fili felt like kicking himself. He had let his imagination run away with him. Adra was too good to be true.

"Fee?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go home now?"

Fili leaned a little closer to Kili, and felt that he was shivering. Why on earth had he stayed put if he was freezing cold? Why hadn't he just gone home and left Fili alone?

Huh. Maybe he had misjudged Kili. The imaginary blockage seemed to have dissolved, and Fili could breathe easily again. He _had _been a bit hasty, and Kili had stood through his momentary insanity. Kili was more helpful than he had thought, and he owed him an apology. But not just now.

"Come on Kili. Let's go home."


	18. The Prank

"Are you sure this is gonna work?"

"If I wasn't sure this was going to work, we wouldn't be doing this."

Fili laughed. He had to admire his little brother's confidence.

"We just have to make sure we don't get caught. _That _would spoil the fun."

"But we're not going to." Kili smiled and kept grinding the acorns.

"So... have you done this before?" Fili was just a tiny bit suspicious of his brother's supposed mastery of this prank.

"No, of course not! A good prankster never repeats a prank. That would make me predica... predict... predicble? Is that it?"

"I think you mean _predictable._"

"Yes, that sounds about right." Kili slowly tipped all the acorn powder into the cauldron. The water became thick and gluggy with the powder, turning into a pasty solution.

"He'll never see it coming!" Fili laughed nervously. He felt kind of awkward, as he had never really felt the urge to prank someone before. But this was different- he felt a strange sense of injustice, and he needed to fix it. Anyway- Rasgar had been mean to him, so why couldn't he put a little justice into place? "So is it ready?"

"What do you think?" Kili took a step back and admired his work. He was actually pretty good at this. Fili may have underestimated his intelligence. "Do you think it's the right colour?"

"Colour?" Fili looked at the thick and unappetizing concoction, which was currently a sickly pale beige colour.

"Yeah. Don't you think it would have a better effect if it was... green, perhaps?"

"Green?"

"Yeah... a bright green..."

Fili knew better than to try and turn Kili off his ideas, so he nodded slowly.

"Adra hates green..."

Kili raised his eyebrows. "Still worrying over Adra?"

"Well... that _is _the only reason we're doing this, right?"

"I guess you could say that. But I think it's mostly 'cause Rasgar's a jerk."

"Oh... sure..." Fili felt silly for still thinking about Adra- but you couldn't blame him, right? Anyway, this prank was to help him exact revenge on Rasgar and forget about Adra.

"So... I'll get the green stuff to make the dye, and you can start boiling some water."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you later." Kili opened the window, and hopped out before Fili could intervene. He heard the crunch of the leaves as Kili landed nimbly on the garden bed below. Fili leant out the window and just caught sight of his brother as he scurried into the forest.

Fili knew Dis wouldn't approve of pranking, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. He tried to discreetly get a pot out of the drawer. It squeaked open, and the pots clanged inside. Fili winced as he tried to quieten the quivering metal. He could _not _let his mum find out what he was doing.

Right. Now he needed to get some water. There was a stream outside... Yes- that was probably the closest source of water. He just needed to get out of the house unnoticed. Kili did it all the time, so it couldn't be that hard. Actually, come to think of it, Kili just climbed out the windows and ran away before anyone could catch him. So, Fili would try that.

Kili actually liked being in the woods. It was so peaceful and serene... scratch that- it was too quiet for Kili. He liked action, and adventure, and being in the thick of things. He always had, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he always would. The reason he was happy right now was probably because he was commanding the mission. He was in charge- Captain Kili. Yeah. He liked that.

Green... green green green... Kili just couldn't find anything a putrid enough green for his dye. He crept a little deeper into the forest. Aha! There it was! A patch of vivid green clovers lay at his feet. Perfect!

Almost... there...! Fili had almost made it out of the window quietly. Dis was still in her room. Finally! Fili had made it out, the pot in his hand. He snuck down to the stream, filling the pot with the cold running water. He then tried to strike a fire behind the house, lighting a small twig and throwing it into the bed of coals that they kept there to cook things in. The coals ignited and Fili rested the cauldron on the clay walls of the bed. He knew he had to be _really _quiet- the window above him was Dis' room. He hoped she wouldn't open a window or look down at him. He felt and inexplicable rush of adrenaline. It's sort of exciting isn't it? Breaking the rules? (Yay for Harry Potter quotes!)

Kili was stealthily crawling back towards the house, this left hand clenched in a fist around the vivid green clovers. He could see Fili now, crouching by the coal-tray. Fili looked incredibly apprehensive. After all, this was his first prank. And- well, if they could pull this off, this would be, as they say, a 'baptism of fire'. Kili grew closer, until Fili could see him. He then wordlessly dropped the clovers into the boiling water. The water slowly began to turn a bright green. Kili smiled. Fili was happy too, though he was a little taken aback- his brother was like a pranking mastermind!

When they poured the green water into the gluggy, pasty mixture, it went a fluorescent green colour- as planned. Kili was over the moon with his creation. Fili, on the other hand, felt a tiny bit apprehensive- only now was he seeing the endless possibilities and chances of failure.  
>"Kili, maybe we should stop now-"<p>

"Stop? We haven't even started yet!" Kili picked up the cauldron, and grabbed Fili's wrist. "C'mon Fee!"

However, seeing his brother's hesitation, Kili smiled comfortingly. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

* * *

><p>Fili had never had a fear of heights, but as they sat on the roof waiting for the assembly to end, he felt a fluttering sensation inside him, and his heart was beating quickly and loudly. Kili was already stationed at the edge of the roof, the cauldron at the ready, peering over the side in anticipation. He looked in his element- a wide smile was plastered on his face. Fili cautiously maneuvered over to him, trying desperately not to dislodge any of the clay tiles.<p>

"He's coming!" Kili whispered excitedly. Fili gulped. This was _actually _happening- there was no going back now. Kili tilted the cauldron, so the slightest jolt would send the pasty green mixture splashing down, like a neon green waterfall, onto the unfortunate target below. Kili was grinning deviously. Fili peered over just in time to see Rasgar step out of the assembly hall with Adra by his side.

"3... 2... 1..." Kili tipped the cauldron up. The mixture cascaded down and absolutely smothered Rasgar. Adra jumped back in surprise, her rusty red hair spattered with the green goo. Rasgar, unfortunately, didn't get off that lightly. He was absolutely drenched with the thick stuff.

Kili was giggling uncontrollably. Fili forced out a nervous laugh. It was actually quite funny to watch Rasgar thrashing around below them. Fili laughed a little louder- too loud. Adra looked up.

"Fili?! Kili!?"

"Wha... DURIN?" Rasgar spun around blindly, the green goo in his eyes. Fili couldn't help but notice it was a slightly different shade of green. And it was losing it's lustrous sheen. Fili glanced at Kili- had he planned this? Kili was staring down at Rasgar with a mischievous smirk.

"Kili- you didn't." Fili lowered his voice so only Kili could hear.

"Oh Fili. Yes I did."

"DURIN! DID YOU DO THIS? YOU... you..." Rasgar stopped. He glanced down at his arm. He was evidently trying to move it. It wasn't moving.

"Durin... you wouldn't dare..." Rasgar tried again to move his arm. The green goo had formed a thick shell over him. He was cemented stuck in the green concoction.

"Kili! We will get in _so _much trouble!" Fili was freaking out.

"So? Rasgar's stuck. Be happy!"

"Kili, I swear-"

"AHHHHHH!" Fili was interrupted by Rasgar's screech. The skin that Fili could see peeking out from under the green was turning red and blotchy.

"What did you do to him?" Adra cried, and ran over, trying to pry the plaster off. It's wouldn't come off.

"KILI!" Fili roared.

"I didn't do this! I swear!"

"You _did _do this, it's whether you intended to or not!"

"OK- I did it, but it was an accident!" Kili was now as nervous as Fili, tears coming to his eyes. Rasgar howled in pain again, and Fili saw that his eyes were red. The visible skin was now puffing up a little. Adra was still trying to lever the plaster off of him.

Fili jumped down from the roof and helped her, Kili right behind him. After much pulling, the green shell tore free of Rasgar and fell away to the ground. Rasgar screamed in pain, and collapsed. His clothes were torn from where the plaster had stuck, and his arms and legs had patches where the hair had been pulled away. His skin was now entirely red and puffy. Rasgar scratched in vain at his disfigured skin.

"Durin, I swear-" Adra's voice was shaky and afraid.

"It's Durin now, is it?" Fili's panic was making him hysterical and angry.

"I DON'T CARE, FILI! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RASGAR?" Adra was, by the looks of things, also in hysterics.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" Fili yelled back. A small crowd was beginning to gather around them.

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE NO IDEA? _YOU _DID THIS!"

"NO! KILI DID THIS!"

"Kili..." Adra turned to Kili, her voice dangerously quiet. Kili shot Fili a venomous glance. "What... did you do... to Rasgar?"

"Nothing- I just mixed some green dye with a paste and poured it on him!"

"What was in the paste?"

"Water and ground acorns."

"And the dye?"

"Water... and this other plant."

"Kili." Adra knelt down and stared him in the eye, her voice wavering. "What plant?"

"It was like... a clover. And it was bright green."

"Oh god..." Adra back away from Kili. He saw the glint of tears in her eye.

"What? What has he done?" Fili stepped between them, shielding his brother from Adra's accusatory glare.

"Rasgar... he has a severe allergy..."

"Oh god, Kili." Fili looked at Rasgar. His eyes were watering, and he was clutching at his throat. He looked so small and vulnerable. Fili could have kicked him and not have gotten hurt- he had always wanted to try that. But he changed his mind when he saw the plea in Rasgar's eyes.

"Is anyone here a doctor? A nurse?" Fili yelled. The crowd had thickened. One hand stuck up from behind a group of dwarves, and a small dwarf woman made her way through. It was the nurse from when Kili was in hospital.

"What's wrong?" She asked Fili, but Adra answered.

"Allergy."

And the rest of the scene was a blur to Fili. He couldn't listen, couldn't think. All he could see was the fear on Kili's face and the pain in Rasgar's eyes. He felt a hand grab his wrist. He saw Thorin's deep eyes lock onto his. And then he felt himself be towed away from the muddle of colours that was the crowd.


	19. The Aftermath

Kili slowly opened the door. He crept into the room, trying to get onto his bed without Fili seeing him. Fili exhaled slowly. Maybe he was asleep.

"You just _had _to dye it."

Oh. He wasn't asleep.

"Fee, I'm sorry, I-"

"You can't _just_ apologise, Kili. You don't know how much trouble you've caused. Rasgar's in hospital, in a critical condition. Adra _hates _me-"

"Who cares about Adra?" Kili hadn't been getting much sleep lately, and, as a result, was rather grumpy- all the time. He was trying to restrain from making any rude remarks, but he had just snapped at Fili- who, if possible had been getting _less _sleep than him,.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Fili roared.

"TRY ME!" Kili yelled back. He heard the scraping of a chair deeper in the house- someone had just stood up abruptly. Dis or Thorin, he would guess. Over the last few days, the brothers had been arguing nonstop, and most of the time they needed to be separated by either their mother or their uncle.

"KILI! YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND BUT YOU _DON'T! _I WASN'T EVEN THAT ANGRY AT RASGAR _OR _ADRA, AND NOW YOU'VE GONE AND HOSPITALIZED HIM!" He stood on his bed. His brother followed suit.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN '_I'VE _GONE AND HOSPITALIZED HIM'? YOU DID AS MUCH AS ME!"

"YOU PLANNED THE WHOLE STUPID THING! YOU TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO BE OK!"

"IF ANYTHING, _YOU _SHOULD HAVE KNOWN HE WAS ALLERGIC. HE'S YOUR FRIEND!"

Thorin and Dis' footsteps were echoing as they ran up the hallway towards the boys' bedroom.

"HE'S NOT MY FRIEND! I HATE HIM!"

"Then why aren't you happy to see him in hospital?" Kili sat down. A tear glinted in his eye.

Fili groaned. "You idiot. If you don't like someone, you don't have to possibly kill them."

"I didn't _kill _him-"

"You may as well have! Adra hates me so much now." Fili sat down. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "She can't even look me in the eye. If Rasgar doesn't recover..." Fili lay back down, and buried his face in the pillow. "I'll kill myself."

Kili gasped. He was crying now, tears streaming down his face. "Fee- you wouldn't-"

"I don't know. I don't care."

"Fili..." Kili walked over and hugged his brother, his quiet voice wavering with tears. "Please. It's ok. I'm sorry if I've hurt you, just don't-"

"Save your apologies." Fili shook his brother off and strode over to the door, leaving Kili sitting on his bed. He opened the door and stormed out, pushing Dis aside as he stomped down the hallway. Thorin opened his mouth to say something, but Fili had already walked out the front door.

"Kili... can I come in?" Dis knocked softly on the door. When no one answered, she pushed the door open. She couldn't see Kili, but she could hear a soft sniffling coming from the corner. She saw Kili huddled over, clutching on to something tightly.

"Kee... are you ok?" No response.

"What've you got there?" Dis sat down on the floor next to him. Kili said nothing, but handed the object over to her. Fili's diary.

"Kili. You shouldn't be-" but Dis stopped when she saw Kili's face. He wasn't just sobbing. His whole face was red, and the trails left by tears shone on his soft, young cheeks. His eyes were tinged red too, and there were more tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. The corners of his mouth were pulled downwards, and he was breathing heavily and quickly through his mouth. It appeared he needed to blow his nose.

_Wow. He's really upset. _Dis was overwhelmed with a strong maternal instinct, and she pulled him into her, feeling his wet face against her warm skin. She held him tightly. She could hear his loud and fast breaths, and she could feel the quick pulse of his heart. All of a sudden, she had forgotten the eight-year-old dwarf who was in trouble, and Kili became the little baby boy Dis remembered holding all those years ago.

"It's ok, bub, you can tell me what's wrong."

"Mummy..." Kili tried to speak, but the crying slurred his speech. Dis hushed him, and held him closely.

"It's ok. You don't have to speak if you don't want to."

"Fili... Fili said he... he... wanted to die..." Kili forced out between breaths. Dis handed him a handkerchief and he blew his nose.

"Hush, little Kee, I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"He... he did... and he... hates me... mummy, he h-h-hates me" Kili burst into another fit of tears.

"No! Honey, no no, he doesn't hate you! You're his brother!" Dis put on her best reassuring smile, and gently pried Kili away from her so she could look him in the eye. His eyes were still a mess of red and tears, but in the centre of his eye, his rich brown pupils shone brightly and clearly.

"Mummy... here..." Kili pointed to the diary she had put down beside her. Sniffling, he opened the book to a certain page. The paper was wrinkled from the tears spattered around the page. The entry began,

_Today, we went to the elf who is in charge of teeth. I believe it's called a 'dentist'. _

Dis swallowed a little. She didn't know what was so important that she had to read her son's diary, but Kili's desperate gaze steadied her, and she read on.

_At first, we thought Kili had a tooth problem, but it turned out that I had one instead. It was my fault, because I had to much sugar._

_Afterwards, I made myself a promise- I will _always _belong with my brother, no matter what._

And that was all that it took for Dis to be reduced to tears too.

"Fili! Where- there you are! You had me worried there!" Thorin came to a halt at the bottom of the tree.

"Good." Fili scowled and climbed to a higher branch.

"Fili." Thorin begrudgingly began to climb up the tree too. "Would you like to come down?"

"I'll come down when someone fixes up this huge mess." Fili was getting close to the top of the tree. "Kili, preferably, as all this is his fault."

"Fili- stop." Thorin was running out of breath, and was clearly not as fit or fast as Fili.

"No."

"Don't be difficult. I don't want to have to climb all the way up there!"

"Then don't." Fili had reached the top of the tree. Thorin was still clambering up after him. Why couldn't Thorin understand that he just wanted to be alone? But it was too late. Thorin had already perched himself on the branch beside Fili.

"You're not normally this rude, you know." As much as Fili hated to admit it, Thorin's deep voice was soothing him right now.

"I know, I just-" Fili turned, and looked outwards, past the branches. The valley that they were residing in currently was stretched out before him, the sun making it's way west in the sky above him. It was cooler up here, and the breeze blew softly across his bare arms. He suddenly felt alone- but not the good alone. Not the kind of alone that gives you peace of mind. It was the kind of alone that makes you feel separated from everything, cold and isolated, and longing to reconnect. The breeze strengthened. He shivered. "I don't know. I'm sorry." Fili said, not entirely truthfully. The sour cringe of selfish anger still bit at him.

Thorin laughed softly. "It's ok. We all need to release our anger sometimes."

"Who's fault is it?" Thorin was taken aback. He hadn't expected Fili to say that.

"What do you mean?"

"What happened to Rasgar. Who's fault was it?"

"Um..." Thorin slid a little closer to Fili, and wrapped an arm around him. Together, they stared over the valley in silence for a minute. "I think... it's both of your faults."

"How can you say that? I did _nothing!" _

"Exactly." Thorin looked at Fili. Fili stared back at him. As the mottled light shone on his face, Fili could see the age and wisdom etched into his weary face. He had always thought of his uncle as a young, bold, adventurous warrior, forever young and preserved in the folds of time as an eternal fighter. But now, as the sun slowly began to set, Fili saw the weary soul contained in Thorin's seemingly tireless body. He was a lot wiser than Fili gave him credit for.

"What... what do you mean?"

"Well... I'll acknowledge that it's probably mainly Kili's doing, but you didn't stop him."

"He was persuading me! He told me it was going to be fine!"

"But you went along with it. If you had really been opposed to it, you would have stopped him. And Kili knew that. He was waiting for you to say to stop, but you didn't, so he assumed it would be ok."

"But he can't just... just _assume. _He's not my responsibility!"

"But he looks up to you! He'll follow you! He _adores _you Fili. You're one of the few people that he actually listens to! Not even me- not even _Dis _can get him to do things, but he'll listen to you!"

"So? He should still be able to make his own decisions."

"He is able, Fili. He just wants you to guide him."

Dis slowly closed the door. Kili clutched onto her hand, sticking close to her.

"Fee...?"

"Thorin!" Dis called out, slowly making her way towards the spattering of trees.

"Fee! I need to talk to you!" Kili yelled. There was a scuffling above him, and Fili jumped out of a tree. Thorin cautiously climbed down after him.

"Fili, I want to say sorry." Kili said softly. "It was all my fault, and you followed me, and you're taking as much blame as me."

"No- it's my fault. I let you do this, even when I could've stopped you." Fili looked at the floor, trying not to make eye contact. He hated lying to Kili's face. In truth, he hadn't let this go- not really.

"Well. It's nice to see you boys have made up." Dis smiled.

"I didn't say we've made up." Fili felt a small, bitter taste rise in his mouth.

"Fili..." Thorin reached out a hand to put on Fili's shoulder.

"He doesn't have to. It's my fault." Kili shrugged. Thorin lowered his eyebrows, and scowled slightly at Fili.

"Ok. Well, that's sorted then." Dis took Kili's hand, and rubbed his shoulder affectionately. Fili folded his arms awkwardly, and stepped back a little. "Now come on boys. We need to go visit Rasgar, in the hospital."

Kili shivered. "Oh, ok."

Fili grunted and started to walk away, but Thorin held him back. Dis led Kili over to the path, and together they walked in the direction of the hospital, Dis holding Kili protectively. Fili felt the acidic sting of jealousy hit him. He turned to Thorin, who was looking at him worriedly.

"Did you take anything I said up there into account?"

Fili shrugged.

"Look, I know this is difficult for you, Fili- it's difficult for all of us. But that doesn't mean you have to clam up and shut everyone away." When Fili looked away, Thorin added "He's your brother- he loves you, for Durin's sake, and you should love him back."

"He's turned someone I really cared about against me-"

"Fili. I hate to break it to you, but you're only thirteen. You don't care about Adra as much as you think- or, should I say, thought. Maybe Kili's helped you dodge an arrow- you never know."

"You don't understand! No one does!"

"By my beard Fili! I thought you were smarter than this!" Thorin grabbed Fili's arm as he began to walk away. "I'm the only one here who has been through what you have. I was a thirteen year old dwarf boy once, and I went through exactly this!"

"Oh really? Your brother dragged you into hospitalising someone, and the girl that you had a crush on hates you because of it?" Fili laughed sarcastically.

"Not quite. But, I did have a crush on someone. She was a lovely girl, and she was good friends with your mother. I don't know why, but I told Dis about my crush."

Fili remembered that feeling, being compelled to trust your sibling with a secret like that. Maybe he _could _relate to Thorin.

"And your mother- well, she went crazy. She told that girl, and just about anyone who would listen. I mean... she was only eight. We have the same age gap as you and Kili, did you know that? Well anyway, she got a bit overexcited. And it turns out... well, the dwarf lass didn't return my feelings, and she said some horrible, _horrible _things about me and my family when she found out. That ruined my thoughts on her, and Dis and her's friendship. I felt awful, and I didn't want to talk to Dis ever again. I thought only I had been impacted, and that it was all Dis' fault. In hindsight, I was pretty awful to your mother. I didn't talk to her for ages, and I sulked and sulked and sulked. I don't want the same to happen to you- and fortunately for you, _you _have an uncle to guide you."

"But how did you two make up?" Fili felt the sour anger slip away from him.

"I realised that Dis got affected too. I thought it was _just _me. She lost a friend, and wasn't feeling great either, _and _she was taking the blame. But she wasn't complaining- why? For _me. _She was trying to make things better for me because she felt bad about what she did. I didn't know how much she was doing for me at the time, but when I found out, I forgave her for what she had done. And I think you should forgive Kili- he's had a hard time too, you know."

Fili nodded. He was cold now, the shadows creeping up around him as the sun set. Thorin put an arm over his shoulder, and smile comfortingly.

"That's my boy. Now come on- your mother's probably waiting for us."

And with that, the two dwarves started off towards the hospital.


	20. The Hospital

"Sir? There are people here to see you." A muffled groan came in response. "He'll see you now."

"Rasgar?" Dis softly pushed the door open as the dwarven nurse left. The two dwarves entered the room cautiously. It was identical to the one Kili had been put in when he had hurt his head. Kili shuddered a little. It was uncomfortably cold, except for the blazing fire in the corner of the room. He longed to go sit by it, but he felt Dis' firm grip on his arm, and he decided to stay put. He turned his attention to Rasgar, who was lying in the bed, swaddled in a thick collection of blankets. Kili cringed. Rasgar was all puffy and red, a herbal paste smothered all over him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked extremely uncomfortable. Dis gasped.

"Oh... Rasgar... we-" Dis didn't get to finish her sentence. Thorin and Fili walked in, and slammed the door behind them. Thorin walked over to Rasgar's bedside, and placed something flat on the table.

"We are so, so sorry, Rasgar, and to apologise, we've brought you a gift- a token of our apology." Thorin said, motioning to the package. Rasgar squinted suspiciously at Thorin, then grasped at the package. He appeared to be having trouble forming a fist. Thorin seemed to notice, but said and did nothing. He wasn't exactly Rasgar's biggest fan. Kili stepped forward and cleared his throat. Fili tapped him on the shoulder.

"Kee- I need to talk to you."

"Not now."

"Why not?"

"I have a song."

"Oh brother..." Fili buried his head in his hands. A look of confusion passed Thorin's proud, majestic face. Dis looked a little nervous.

"Well go on sweetie- that seems nice!" prompted Dis.

"Mum- you _really _don't want to let him sing." Fili murmured.

"Nonsense- I think it's nice that Kili has a song."

"Mum- he can't sing!" Fili raised his voice a little. Dis gave him a reprimanding glance.

"I can _so _sing!" argued Kili, who, evidently, had heard Fili's comment. Rasgar groaned. It appeared he couldn't speak, or formulate proper words, because his lips were so swollen, but it was obvious that he wanted all of the Durins to leave him alone.

Dis gently nudged Kili forward. "Come on honey. Sing Rasgar your song."

Kili smirked triumphantly, and straightened his posture.

"I wrote this song myself."

Fili grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at the floor. This wasn't going to be good.

"Hem hem.

_Once there was a dwarf son, _

_Who was extremely awesome_

_Who was very cool and sometimes silly,_

_and his name was Kili."_

Fili looked at his brother in shock. The lyrics... needed some work, but Kili actually wasn't that bad at singing. He had a sweet, soft, melodic voice that was very expressive.

"_And Kili had a brother,_

_Born of the same mother,_

_Fili was his name, _

_And the brothers loved to play games."_

Fili raised his eyebrow. Where was Kili going with this? Kili looked over at him, and Fili found himself smiling back encouragingly.

"_And... one day things went a bit to far,_

_And the brothers hurt a boy named Rasgar,_

_By accident, but still, nonetheless,_

_It hurt Rasgar's body and the boys' happiness."_

Kili looked down at the ground. Was... was Kili _shy? _Fili had never seen Kili get shy before.

"_And Fili was angry at his little brother,_

_Because his prank hurt another,_

_And Kili deserved the anger,_

_As his prank hurt Rasgar _and _Adra."_

Fili felt a little guilty. It actually wasn't _all _Kili's fault...

_"And so Rasgar, the point of this story,_

_Is to tell you I'm so very sorry,_

_I hope you get better, but until then,_

_I promise I won't pull pranks like that again."_

Kili bowed, and walked over to Rasgar shyly. Rasgar flinched away from him- he hadn't had the best history with Kili. Kili bit back his words, and presented Rasgar with a card that he had pulled from his coat. It had the words, _'Get well soon' _scrawled across the front in Kili's round handwriting. It was patterned with cute little swirls, drawn in emerald green ink. Rasgar's eyes widened at the sight of the vibrant green. Kili laughed slightly.

"Don't worry. It was made using leaves, not clovers."

Rasgar was still hesitant. He made a small noise in the back of his throat, and looked at Kili. Kili opened the card for him. Inside was a very short message that Fili couldn't read. Rasgar _seemed _touched, but in all fairness, Fili couldn't tell due to the excessive swelling of Rasgar's face. He felt kind of bad- he hadn't brought anything for Rasgar. In fact, the only reason he had come to the hospital was to apologise to Kili. And even that wasn't happening.

Thorin gave Kili a small nod, and he backed off a few centimetres. Fili tapped his brother on the shoulder, but Kili didn't seem to notice- that, or he was ignoring Fili. Dis nudged Thorin, who stepped forward and opened the gift he had placed on the table for Rasgar, who was squinting angrily at the brothers. Thorin revealed the gift to be an intricately carved dagger, with a gilded hilt. It had the square yet twisted crest of Durin stamped onto the end of the blade.

"We are so very sorry, Rasgar, son of Thasnor. May this dagger make amends between our families, and reforge the bonds that my nephews have snapped." Thorin glanced at the boys. Fili was momentarily confused- wasn't Thorin on their side? He knew he was. Of course he was... right? Thorin patted Rasgar on the arm, and walked over to Fili and Kili.

"Do _you _have anything to say, Fili?"

"Um... no..." Fili couldn't look his uncle in the eye.

"Oh. That's a shame." Thorin looked disappointedly at Fili, and left the room. Dis was about to say something, but Rasgar's icy stare silenced her. She turned to Fili.

"I want you to apologise to Rasgar. Thorin and I will be outside." And with a well-mannered nod, she stalked out of the room- but not before she caught Fili's eye and gave him one of her 'and-I-mean-it' looks.

"Erm... Rasgar... goodness, Rasgar, I am so, so sorry." Fili ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. Kili backed away with the intention of leaving the room, but Fili grabbed his hand. "And Kili? I am so, so sorry about what I did to you as well. I know I have the power to influence you, and I didn't do anything to stop you. I've been selfish, and thoughtless, and I know it's been hard for you too. I'm so sorry for letting you take the blame when it's my fault too. I... I love you, Kili, and I've been selfish." Fili looked at Kili apologetically. "Will you forgive me?"

"Fili. I never held anything against you!" Kili giggled nervously, and shrugged. "But if you want me to say it, I forgive you." Kili hugged his brother.

"Kee... you're so... wow. Thorin would be so proud. You have the true virtues of a leader- you'll make a great king one day."

"Me? A great king? Fili, I look up to _you. _I'll never be a great king if I don't have you to guide me. I love you too, and the only reason I took the blame was because I knew if I didn't, we would be pulled even further apart. And... I don't want that to happen, Fee." Kili squeezed Fili a little tighter.

Kili felt a wave of fatigue crash over him. He hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately, and it had been so long since he had had a nice long hug like this. He felt the warmth of Fili's body against him, and the tickle of Fili's hair against his skin. He wanted to stay in this warm embrace with Fili for a long, long time. Rasgar groaned. Fili pushed himself away from Kili. Rasgar aimed an angry glare at the both of them, and made a sound like an angry horse. Fili raised a hand and waved goodbye to Rasgar awkwardly.

"Well... see you."

"So? How did you two go?" Dis asked as Fili shut the hospital door behind himself.

"Great." Fili smiled. Thorin raised one eyebrow, and Fili nodded contentedly. Thorin gave him an approving smile.

"Well- it seems we have no more business here." Thorin decided.

"But what about Rasgar? Surely his family will press charges." Dis said.

"I'll take care of it. I'm the king- in the end, my word goes."

Dis gave Thorin a reproachful look. "Don't abuse your power." Thorin made a face like a hurt puppy, and then smiled it off.

"Don't worry- it'll be fine."


	21. The Shredding

"Go long!" yelled Fili.

"Go what?" Kili yelled back.

"Long!" But it was too late- Fili had already thrown the pine cone hard in Kili's direction.

"Oof!" Kili caught the pine cone right before it hit him square in the stomach. The force of the throw still knocked him over, though.

"Oh- sorry, Kee!" Fili jogged over to his little brother, who was sprawled out on the ground.

"That's... fine..." Kili cringed as he tried to sit up, brushing the dirt off of his tunic. "Ouch... I think I grazed my knee..."

"Here... let me take a look..." Fili knelt down next to his brother. The fabric on the knees of his trousers was thin from where Kili had scraped his knees. A small spot of blood blossomed from the sore. "Looks like you scratched it a little. No big deal."

"Oh, ok. Yuck- I'm all dirty." Kili grumbled, and continued to brush himself off. "Mum is going to _kill _me. This was a new cloak."

"It's not that dirty- oh..." Fili grimaced when he saw the back of Kili's coat. It was smeared with all sorts of dirt and mud, and torn in some places too. he was right- Dis was going to be upset.

"Oh great. Fee, I need to clean this up! Mum will be _so _angry at me- she's always telling me I'm irresponsible, and now I've ruined a new coat!"

"Get up, Kili." Fili helped his brother up. "It won't help just sitting there doing nothing. C'mon- let's get your coat cleaned up before mum gets home."

Dis was at a tapestry class, which gave the boys roughly an hour to mend to cloak. As they hurried towards the house, Kili stumbled and fell again.

"Fee! Fee! Help me up!"

"For goodness' sake, Kili, you can stand up."

"No I can't! I sprained my ankle!"

"Don't be ridiculous- get up!"

But Kili stayed planted firmly on the ground, a rebellious pout spread across his face. "Make me."

"We don't have time for this!" groaned Fili. "Mum's going to find out you've torn your coat if we don't hurry up."

Kili rolled his eyes, and pushed himself up so he was standing. Fili felt a tinge of guilt- Kili did appear to have rolled his ankle. Great. Kili hobbled past him and slowly made his way to the house. Fili rushed to his side and half-carried his brother as far as he could. Kili gave him a grateful smile.

"Ok Fee- let's fix this coat!"

On reflection, Fili realised he didn't actually _have _to help Kili. He hadn't done anything wrong- it was Kili's fault he was wearing a new cloak when they were playing pine-cone-toss. But Fili couldn't shake the niggling older-brother-obligation- he _had _to help his little brother; it was his responsibility. He had been feeling like that a lot lately, actually- Fili couldn't imagine looking at Kili as anything other than a little child. And whilst he didn't know it, this quality would stay with him for a long, long time.

So that's how Fili found himself putting cool stones on his brother's swollen foot and gently peeling off his cloak. Kili bit his lip nervously and winced in pain as Fili accidentally knocked his leg.

"Sorry! Oh dear- let me have a look..." Fili peered at Kili's ankle. It was red, but that may have been from all the cool stones Fili had put there. The men in the village used to get snow from the mountains and pack it onto wounds, but the stones that had been lying in the shade were the coldest things Fili could find.

"Huh- you sound like mum." Kili stated. Fili froze momentarily- he didn't want to sound like Dis when he was only thirteen. He straightened himself up, and glanced at the cloak, avoiding eye contact with Kili. He almost felt... _embarrassed. _He hoped Kili didn't think of his as a second mum- he wanted to be a fun older brother. Suddenly, his older-brother-instinct felt stupid. He couldn't imagine anything he wanted to do less than fix Kili's coat- it wasn't his fault; he didn't have to do anything. He wasn't Kili's mum. He shouldn't have to fix anything at all. Yet the coat still sat there on his lap, folded immaculately, just as he liked it, demanding to be fixed. He felt an odd sense of repulsion looking at it.

"Fee? Do you know how to sew?" Kili's voice was soft, and cautious, as if he could tell Fili was about to snap.

"Why?" Fili wasn't in the mood to answer questions. He used to reply 'Why?' to everything whenever he felt like deflecting questions, and Kili usually understood. But not today, evidently.

"Because! Fee, we need to fix my coat!"

"No, _you _need to fix it. It's not my fault."

"Fili? What do you mean?" Kili shifted in his chair so he could look at Fili. An expression of concern was written all over his face.

"Exactly what I said. It's not my fault." Fili stood up and walked away.

"But Fee... you promised..."

"I never promised."

"Please? For me?" Fili looked over his shoulder at Kili. Kili looked back with big, adoring eyes. Fili ran a hand through his hair.

"Ugh. Fine." Fili reluctantly picked up the coat. He _was _going to fix it, but he was _not _going to fix it well. That way, Kili would never ask Fili to do anything for him again.

"So... _do _you know how to sew?" Kili enquired again.

"I guess."

Fili walked out of the room, in search of needles and thread. He knew perfectly well that he had a spool of black thread and several fine ivory needles in his room, but he didn't want to use them for this. Dis would have some in her room that he could use. He trudged slowly over to her door, and picked the needles and thread from her bedside table. Fili purposely chose a vibrant blue thread that would stick out against the dark brown fabric of the cloak. He did feel a _bit _bad about intentionally ruining Kili's coat, but hey- it was for a good cause... wasn't it?

Fili sat down on his mother's bead, and tried to arrange the coat so that it was straight enough to sew back together. There were two main scratches on the back, and there was dirt and mud streaked all over the once-clean fabric. This was going to take a while...

Kili squirmed in his chair. He was _pretty _uncomfortable right now, and he wasn't convinced the cold rocks were working. And he had a dry taste in his mouth.

"Fili! Can you come here please?"

An exasperated sigh echoed from down the hall. "Ugh. Fine."

"Are you ok Fee?" Kili asked, wishing he hadn't disturbed his brother.

" I'm _fine._" Said Fili sarcastically. "What do you want?"

"Can you get me a drink please?" Kili asked softly.

Fili mumbled something under his breath that didn't sound that friendly, and turned to the cupboard. The kettle had boiled half an hour ago, and so the water was lukewarm when Fili poured his brother a cup.

"Thanks Fi- hey!" Fili clumsily splashed the water onto Kili's lap. "What was that for?"

Fili stared Kili straight in the eye and said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Oops."

"Fee. That's not nice. I haven't done anything wrong."

Fili felt a pang of guilt, but he was _not _going to act like Kili's mother. He didn't have to.

"Sure you haven't."

Fili had heard of men talking of how they felt they had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, who gave advice that represented their idea of righteousness. Fili had always thought it would be easy telling the devil's bad advice from the angel's true words, but right now the two voices in his head both sounded wrong.

_Don't mess it up. Just sew it nicely, give it a quick wash, and give it back to Kili before your mother finds out._

But then _you'll _be acting like Kili's mother- which you're not. He needs to learn he's not dependent on you!

_He's _not _dependent on you- on the contrary, I've never seen a more independent child. Help him out here- just this once._

Just this once? You've saved him _hundreds _of times. It's time he did something himself. Besides- when has he ever done anything nice for you?

_He's your little brother. He's allowed to make mistakes- and there's still plenty of time for him to make up for it._

"Stop stop stop!" Fili put his head in his hands. The arguing voices were giving him a headache. He felt like he needed to breathe, and suddenly he just wanted to be alone- no voices, no coat, no annoyingly blue thread- and most of all, no Kili. He needed to think, but at the same time, he needed to stop thinking about it. He didn't know what to do. His brain was on overload.

Fili stretched out on Dis' bed, closing his eyes, and breathing out slowly. He needed to... _relax. _Yes... yes, that was it. _Relax. _Just shut everything else out. Fili felt a heavy, leaden feeling inside him, and he felt like sinking into the bed. He didn't want to get up. Maybe... maybe he could just... have a little sleep... yeah... and _then _he could fix this... this... _problem. _Yeah. Fili slowly let the warm darkness embrace him, until he was fully asleep.

* * *

><p>"Fee! <em>Fee! <em>Where are you?" Kili's voice was hoarse. He had been yelling for Fili for the past half hour. Dis would be home soon, and Fili still hadn't come out of her room. He knew he couldn't move, for fear of doing further damage to his leg, but he had to do _something. _Kili slowly began to inch his chair and the stool that was supporting his foot towards the hallway.

It was actually going surprisingly well- he must have made it at least a solid 30 centimetres- until the chair leg got caught on something. Who knows what it was- a dip in the floor, perhaps, or an item left carelessly in the middle of the room- but one of the chair legs got caught on it, and the chair collapsed beneath Kili.

"Ah!" The stones that had been resting on his foot were flung in his face, and his foot remained on the stool in a very awkward position.

_This can't get any worse... _Kili thought.

And then, it did.

* * *

><p>When Dis opened the door, she was greeted with the sight of her youngest spread-eagled on the floor, surrounded by chunks of wood and rocks.<p>

"Kili! Goodness Kili, are you ok?" Dis rushed over to her him, abandoning the tapestry she had brought home at the door.

"Yeah, I'm- OW!" Kili winced as Dis touched his ankle. She retracted quickly, then proceeded to fuss over his obviously swollen foot.

"Oh, look what you've done to yourself, Kee. Oh dear- where is your brother?"

"Ummmm..." Kili was caught off guard. Should he tell his mother where Fili was, and risk exposing their plot? Before he could decide, however, Dis rolled her eyes and scampered off down the hall.

* * *

><p>Dis paused at the boys' door, and knocked softly.<p>

"Fili? Are you in there?"

No response.

Dis slowly opened the door, until she could see the whole room. It was split in two halves- one immaculately tidy one, and one that was a work in progress. Dis walked over to Fili's decidedly tidier half. There was no one there. She quickly scanned Kili's half of the room. Fili wasn't there either. Dis frowned, and scurried out of the room. Where else could he be?

* * *

><p>Dis was about to walk straight past her door when she heard a small snore. She looked at her door, and intently listened- and there it was again! There was a small dwarf sleeping in her room. She slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. Lo and behold, there was Fili curled up on her bed, fast asleep. He had a tattered piece of fabric clenched in his hand- wait... was that Kili's new coat? An unravelled spool of peacock-blue thread was tangled up in his hair, and a few needles lay scattered on the floor. Dis didn't know what to think. She <em>could've <em>woken him up and ask him why Kili was hurt and covered in stones, and why he was clutching the remains of a brand new coat, but she thought the better of it.

Maybe she should just... let him sleep for a little bit.

She had forgotten how cute he was when he was asleep. He looked like the small baby boy she had held twelve years ago and sung to sleep. Dis sighed. The boys were growing up so fast. She turned to leave, and then rushed to Fili's side and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead- like she used to do every night before he went to sleep. She smiled- she hadn't done that in ages.

"Sleep well, darling."


	22. The Dream (2)

Fili's face was cold. His cheek was pressed against something hard and smooth. He blearily opened his eyes- where _was _he? It was a room made of black marble. There was a spot of light above him, that cast a dramatic shadow across the floor. He felt cold, and alone, yet not really... _there. _He felt as if he was dreaming, or something along those lines. Actually, now that he thought of it, he _had _gone to sleep in Dis' room beforehand. Yes- he was dreaming.

There was a door illuminated on the wall in front of him. He slowly pushed it open, to reveal a room painted lime green. It was empty, except for a small white stick moving up and down in the corner. It pressed an end to the wall, and began to move about rhythmically, leaving great, swirling white lines behind it. As Fili watched in awe, the stick began to join the lines together and form an image. Somehow, he knew exactly what it was. He could remember this memory from when he was young- Kili and him sitting on the throne in Erebor, pretending to be king. And now it was coming to be before him, drawn onto the wall in clean white lines. But... it was all wrong! Kili's nose was no where _near _that long. And his eyes weren't that round. Fili was also pretty sure that his own hair was longer than that. This magical white stick was terrible at drawing, but he knew exactly what memory this was. The more he stared at the picture, the more wrong it seemed. He wanted to leave now, but when he turned back, the door was sealed. Fili started to panic a little- he didn't want to stay here. He whirled around in search of another exit, and then he saw a door illuminated on the opposite wall. _How odd...? _Fili wasn't sure where the door would lead him, but he knew it would take him away from this hideous green room. He closed his eyes, hoped for the best, pushed open the door and entered the next room.

Fili felt his foot dip in warm water as he stepped in. He recoiled in disgust- it wasn't a very pleasant feeling_. _The air in this room was humid, and very hot. Fili looked down and found that his feet were submerged in the warm water. He turned back to the door, to step back onto dry land, but the door was sealed. Through the thick, foggy air, he could see a door on the far wall. So, Fili began to trudge uncomfortably through the warm water towards the door.

About halfway there, the water began to deepen. It was about knee-high now. The uncomfortably warm was splashing about his legs. Fili shuddered. Suddenly, a mustached lizard fell from the ceiling and landed squarely on his head. It opened it's mouth and began to sing karaoke. Fili tried to shake it off, but when he did, the water around him turned to molten chocolate. He stumbled around blindly, pulling the lizard with all his might, trying to get it out of his hair. He took another step backwards, and was horrified to find that the chocolate he was knee deep in was beginning to set. He needed to get to the door- something was telling him that that would solve his predicament. Meanwhile, the lizard was becoming progressively worse and worse at karaoke. He was about to get frozen in place when the lizard hit an uncomfortably high note and shattered the now-set chocolate. It blushed, and scrambled off of Fili's head and into a tiny hole at the base of the wall. Fili took his chance and ran through the crumbled chocolate to the door opposite him. That was an experience he had never thought he would have. But this was just a dream. _Just a dream._

In this next room, there was a strange contraption lying on the floor. It was long, and pointed, with a curved end. There was a large piece of fabric coming from the other end. Fili walked over to it, and poked it cautiously with his foot. It sprung to life, the fabric stretching open to form a sort of cover. What on earth would this be for? He picked it up, holding the curved end, and found it formed a kind of fabric dome over his head. Cool, but seemingly pointless. He set the contraption down again, and started off towards the door when something dripped from the ceiling onto his shoulder. It was a pale pink, and smelt strongly of fruit. _What? _Fili tasted a bit of it. It didn't taste that bad. It was _very _sweet, and reminded him of the time he had visited the markets with Dis, and tasted those... what were they called again? The small fruits that the men were selling, that were red and conical and covered in seeds. Oh! Strawberries! But why would this pale pink liquid taste like strawberries?, Fili wondered, and why would it be falling from the ceiling? Another drop just missed his nose and sailed to the floor. Another landed in his hair. Soon, this strawberry drink was raining from the ceiling! Fili didn't mind at first, but soon it began to absolutely drench him. Fili looked around in panic, his sticky wet hair flicking across his face, and he saw it- the black contraption in the middle of the room. He rushed over and held it above his head so that the dome of fabric protected him from the raining pink stuff, which was actually quite heavy now. Triumphantly carrying the device above his head, he left the room.

As soon as he walked through the door, the gadget vanished. Oh well- he wouldn't be needing it here, anyway. This room looked considerably drier than the last two, and as he looked down, he realised he was dry too- as were his clothes. Huh- odd.

There was a man in the middle of this room. He was facing away from Fili. He had short, black-brown hair that was neatly combed, and was wearing a smart-looking black outfit. Fili had never seen anything like it. It looked almost... elvish, but more _angular _than elvish clothing. The man turned around, and Fili's heart jumped. Thorin! But... it wasn't. His thick, majestic beard had been replaced by sparse stubble, and this man's skin was dirt-free, unlike Thorin, who always seemed to be a little unclean. Plus, this man was not a dwarf- much to tall. However, the more Fili looked, the more this man looked like Thorin. He had the same piercing blue eyes, and kind smile. _Who was this man? _Fili, against his instinct, walked closer to the strange man, repeating to himself _this is just a dream, just a dream. _The man didn't seem to notice him. On his shirt, there was a small gold tag, with the words _Richard Armitage _printed on it. Was that his name? What kind of a name is that?, Fili wondered. Fili slowly backed towards the door, away from this perplexing man with a strange name. _There better be something normal in the next room- I can't be completely insane! , _Fili thought to himself.

This room was hot pink. Yeuch. Fili didn't like the colour pink- it reminded him of... oh no. Please, _please _no. Not _her. _He had tried so hard to push her out of his head, but...

"Hey, Fili." Fili turned around and saw Adra standing in the corner. Fili couldn't help but notice she was prettier here than she was in real life.

"Oh... hey." Fili felt his face flushing. _Not now, Fili!_

"I'm sorry about what I said to you... " Adra walked towards him, batting her eyelids, smiling slightly. Fili shook his head vigorously. No. This wasn't happening. He began to walk away, but Adra grabbed his shirt.

"I don't like Rasgar. I like _you." _She whispered. There it was- those words Fili would have been _dying _to hear a few weeks ago. But now, as he stared into the eyes of this abnormally pretty dream version of Adra, he felt repulsed.

"No, no you don't. Go away."

"Yes- yes I do." Dream-Adra drew herself closer to him, and Fili pushed her away.

"Well, good for you then." He nodded. "Good bye."

Fili walked out of the room before she said anything else. He felt... _happier _somehow, now that he had said that to Adra. Well- he knew he hadn't _really _said it, and she would have no recollection of it whatsoever- but he still felt that little bit happier.

Huh- it appeared this room was empty.

"Hello?" Fili's voice echoed around the cavernous room. There was no one here. Oh well. Fili strode quickly to the next room. _How much longer would this go on for?_

This next room appeared to be empty as well. But wait- there was a man standing in the corner. No, not a man, but a dwarf, Fili realised. But, that being said, he _was _quite tall for a dwarf.

"Took you long enough." The other dwarf said, and started walking towards Fili. Yes, this dwarf was tall, Fili thought, and for some strange reason he felt an urge to be taller than him. Not in a mean or competitive way, but in a way one might wish to... _outdo _their sibling. But this man wasn't his sibling... or was he?

"Your mind's kinda weird, Fee. I have to admit, I thought you were... well, saner than this when you were thirteen."

_Fee? _Only Kili called him Fee.

"Who are you?"

"I thought you were smarter than this, too." The dwarf rolled his eyes. "Who do you think I am?"

What a good question that was. _Well, let's see: he's got simply yet intricately braided dark brown hair that looks like it needs a good brushing, and a fierce but soft gaze that makes you feel strangely empowered, but also vulnerable. He has a twinkle in his eye, and a smile that makes _you _feel happy too. And right now, he's smirking, but not in a demeaning way, at me trying to figure out who he is. _

Of course.

"You need to shave, Kili."

Kili laughed, and stroked his chin, where there was indeed the beginnings of a beard.

"You finally caught on!"

"I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing in my head?"

Kili's smile straightened a little, and he bent down to be Fili's height. Fili didn't know if it was intentional, but that little gesture annoyed him immensely- it was almost as if he was rubbing the fact in that he was taller than his older brother.

"I need to warn you."

"Of what?"

"Your behaviour."

Fili groaned. "Now _you _sound like mum!"

"Aha! There it is! That's _exactly _what I mean! We both know that I am nothing like mum- quite frankly, looking back, I've been a completely irresponsible nut case. I've been _reckless. _And I've been irrational, and done a few ridiculous things that could've killed me. But I'm still alive. Do you know why? Because of you. You are like... like a guide for me. Like my self-conscience. You remind me what's wrong, and you correct me. You can't change your attitude now, or I'll be lost and alone with no one to guide me!"

Fili felt taken aback. He was hearing this from Kili- a grown dwarf- and yet it all seemed so... Fili couldn't describe it. It felt almost... _pleading. _He knew he _should_ listen to his brother, but he didn't want to be like Kili's mother again.

"I'm flattered, I really am, but I'm not your mum! I'm your big brother!"

Kili rolled his eyes. "This isn't about flattery, Fee. Do you know what a mother is? A woman who gives birth to you. And trust me when I say, you are not my mother in that aspect. As children, we perceive our mothers to be someone who leads us through life, helps us, guides us. But in reality, that's not what defines a mother. _Anyone _can be a guide to us, Fee- mothers, father, teachers, friends- it just so happens that you are mine."

"But... you never said..."

"I never said anything because I don't want to show weakness! C'mon, Fee, surely you've felt like you have to be brave all the time before."

Fili shook his head.

"Really? I've always felt pressure to never let my guard down."

"Why?"

"We're the nephews of _Thorin Oakenshield. _King under the mountain. We've got a lot to live up to. I've always felt like I had to constantly be brave, and never show weakness. That's probably why I've always acted so... _reckless. _I was afraid of showing weakness."

"Kili- shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"Stop saying you're weak. You are the strongest person I know! You're like... an unstoppable force!"

"Exactly! And that's why I need you to guide me! You _can_ still be my older brother and give me a little help in life- you know that right?"

Fili sighed. "I know."

"Are you ready to go back now?"

"Back where?"

Kili laughed softly. "The real world, Fee. Are you ready to wake up?"

"I guess."

Older Kili patted him on the head and smiled his trademark _I-trust-you _smile_. _The room grew brighter, everything fading into a brilliant white.

* * *

><p>Fili's eyes flew open. He was lying on Dis' bed, Kili's torn coat clenched in his hand. There was also a tangle of blue thread in his hair. Fili sat up, and smiled. He knew what he had to do. Fili picked up the needle and rethreaded it with a more versatile dark brown thread, and began to sew.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey guys! <strong>

**So... I'm just here to say thank you. A BIG thank you- to all 10, 584 of you! Wow guys- that is a ****_lot, _****and I just want to say thank you to each and every viewer who's ever read even a ****_chapter _****of this fic (because yes, that does count as a view). I would also like to thank everyone who's reviewed this fic, because it just puts a smile on my face and it makes my day to read some of the lovely things you say. **

**:)**

**So yeah- that's basically it. I'm actually pretty stunned- who'd've thought some random kid from Australia could (potentially) have acquired enough readers to take over a small country (or so I'm told). **

**So yeah- follow, favourite, review, whatever- it all helps. **

**I've also begun to notice some of you have really great ideas for fics! If you ****_do _****happen to have an idea you want me to write about, just comment/review it and I'll try my best to write it- and of course I'll give creds to whoever gave me the idea.**

**Stay happy!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	23. The Archery Competition

The bow twanged.

"Nice shot, Durlim. 20 points." The announcer dwarf declared.

Kili rolled his eyes. Pathetic. He could win this competition_ so_ easily. But there were at least seven contestants before him, so he would just have to wait. Durlim walked past Kili defeatedly. They weren't talking nowadays. It wasn't as if he didn't _like _Durlim, it's just... both of their older siblings kind of hated each other. Still being friends with Durlim would be like fraternizing with the enemy. At least he could beat the 'enemy'- Durlim had missed the bullseye by at least 20 centimetres. Kili had never missed by more than 5. Yes, it was fair to say that Kili was pretty confident he would win.

Earlier that day, before the Youth Archery Competition began, Kili had been a little nervous. He was going to be the youngest in the competition, even if it was only by a few months.

When the time came for the entrants to go to a separate tent, Dis had given Kili a huge hug. She had stroked his head, and reassured him that no matter how well he did, she would always love him. Kili loved his mother a lot, and he knew it might be a bit hard for her to have two growing sons with no husband there to support her, so Kili always wanted to succeed for _her. _He remembered very distinctly- once when he was a little dwarf, she was disappointed in him. Truly disappointed, not mildly- Kili knew mild disappointment all too well. Kili remembered clearly the cold despair in his mother's eyes, and the unbelievable guilt he had felt afterwards. He always wanted to support his mother, and be there for her. And that morning, when she had hugged him so tightly, he felt a whole new responsibility come over him- he _had _to win this competition. For his mother.

Then Fili had hugged him. Sure, it was an awkward hug, but it was better than awkward silence. Fili had been really weird lately, acting over-the-top nice toward Kili. Kili knew that mood swings were a part of growing up, but he had seen Fili go from pure anger towards him to the most caring brother in the world. The coat he was wearing was proof- it was stitched neatly, by Fili. When Fili had gone into Dis' room carrying the shredded coat, he was begrudging and reluctant, but Fili came out of the room smiling, happy and holding out the coat that looked as good as new now. Kili didn't even know how he felt about Fili himself. Well... he loved him, in a brotherly sort of way, but at the same time he felt like they were best friends. But he also needed Fili as a fatherly figure... sort of. Kili was so confused. He didn't really know _how _he felt about Fili, but he knew he loved him.

And then Thorin. His uncle, the great King under the Mountain, had bent down and embraced him. Thorin was one of the main reasons that Kili was nervous- he didn't want to let him down. He felt dwarfed by his uncle's achievement, and that the footsteps he needed to follow were becoming increasingly harder to fit. He wanted to make his uncle proud, and become a hero, but he didn't know how he could step out his uncle's shadow. Maybe if he proved how great an archer he was today, people would finally see that he wasn't just the king's nephew- he was a prince.

That being said, he didn't want to let abandon Thorin and be this great hero, leaving his uncle behind. In fact, one of the main reasons that he felt so much pressure was living up to his uncle's expectations. Kili was a prince, and Thorin expected as much from him. He knew that he was troublesome, and he was actually making an effort to behave well lately, but Kili still felt the pressure of Thorin's hopes on his shoulders. He wanted to be a good prince- he really did. So he needed to win this competition, to prove to Thorin he _could _work hard, and that he _was _made of prince material.

And now, as Kili sat waiting for his turn to compete, he felt the pressure to win slowly bite at him. But he wasn't going to let his nerves overcome him- he was confident he could win.

He held his bow in his hand. He had decorated it himself- with paint and etching. It was really a beautiful bow- Thorin had carved it for him, and over the years he had etched patterns and painted runes on it- big bold runes spelling out his name. He also had his arrows- five plain, boring arrows, and his one lucky arrow. It was etched and painted too, with feathers and beads. He had found it in the woods one day, and decorated it as his own. He had even been convicted of stealing it. But he had kept it with his to this day- and he was going to win the competition with it.

The entrance to the practice tent flapped open and another small dwarf walked out, shaking tentatively and tightly gripping his arrow. He took his place in front of the target. That was Kili's cue to enter the practice tent. He was next.

When he walked in, there was a dwarf woman standing in the corner- she must be the supervisor. She was young, and looked very bored. There were three canvas targets lined up. Kili aligned his toes with the red line painted on the floor, indicating the place to stand. He looked at the target. He could see all the holes made by the arrows of previous competitors- and none were anyway near the centre. He took an arrow and carefully positioned it on the bow. The supervisor nodded annoyedly- he could shoot if he was ready.

Kili took a deep breath, and carefully aimed the arrow at the target. He pulled the string back until it felt _just _right, and let the arrow loose.

It pierced the canvas right in the centre. Kili smiled. This was a good sign.

"Wow- that was actually pretty good, kiddo." The supervisor stood straight, and walked over to him. "You're probably the most talented kid here- but don't tell anyone I said that."

Kili felt a surge of confidence come over him, and he stepped to the next mark. He raised another arrow, but didn't pull the string _quite _tight enough- he knew that the moment the arrow flew out of his grip.

The arrow's tip broke the canvas, but it clattered to the floor. Kili gulped. That wouldn't be good enough out there- there was only one target- one chance- and it was solid wood. It would either stick, or nothing.

"Don't be put out kiddo. You've got potential." The supervisor patted him on the back. "C'mon- you can make this last target."

Kili stepped up to the last line, waves of worry cascading over him. He was going to fail. He was going to disappoint his mother. He was going to disappoint Fili. He was going to disappoint Thorin.

He raised the bow, and even though he knew he was absolutely correct in his posture and his string-tension, he was doing this half-heartedly. The bow twanged- the arrow embedded itself a few centimetres off the bullseye.

Good, but not good enough.

Outside, another bow twanged- and then there was a thud, a few screams, and a collective gasp from the audience. The announcer dwarf yelled, "Ok folks, calm down- we're just going to take a short break and get the medic dwarves on-field, and then we'll have our next contestant- Kili Durin."

"Durin?" The supervisor asked. "Like... King Durin?"

Kili nodded.

She smiled. "I should have known. You're one of the king's nephews, right? You _do _look like him."

And there it was. 'The king's nephew'. All Kili felt like was a possession of Thorin's- something small and insignificant that would always be tied to him. Kili sighed. His confidence had drained.

"He talks about you a lot, you know."

"Sorry?"

"Your uncle. He speaks highly of you, Kili."

"How do you...?"

"I work at the council as the fundraising organizer. It's not a great job, but hey- it needs to be done."

"So you hear Uncle talk about me?"

"All the time! He boasts about his excellent nephews, how smart and intellectual his oldest is, and how athletic and talented his youngest is."

Kili couldn't help himself- he felt a warm feeling spreading through him. Thorin _did _see him as special.

"He was over the moon when he heard about the archery competition- he knew you would ace it."

"He really said that?"  
>"Yeah! He also said that he was sorry he hadn't been practicing with you for a while, and he regretted it so much, but he still knew you could do it."<p>

It was true- Thorin had been so caught up in issues out of home that he hadn't been able to practice archery with Kili for months now.

But little did he know that Kili had still been practicing. Five shots a day, all by himself in the woods. And lately he had been getting five bullseyes in a row. He felt the confidence slowly seep back into him, like water dripping into a sponge. He was ready to compete, and he could win- and Thorin trusted him to.

Dwarves are fiercely loyal people. The one rule all dwarves follow no matter what, is always, _always, _serve and please your king. And as Kili walked out of the tent, bow in one hand, lucky arrow in the other, he was planning to do just that- please his king and honour his Uncle.

* * *

><p>"Kili Durin, please keep your toes behind the red line."<p>

Kili glanced down at his feet and adjusted his toes so that they sat on the line, at a good distance from the target. The crowd was cheering, and nervous energy was flowing throughout the masses. Kili was the last contestant, so the audience was, among other things, restless too. Kili looked up, and saw his family.

Dis was smiling at him with a smile so genuine and loving that it made Kili smile himself. All of a sudden, he realised no matter how he did, Dis would always love him. He could already see the love in her now, and he hadn't accomplished anything yet. He could never let her down- it was simply impossible.

Fili was there too, waving nervously at his brother. _Why is Fee nervous? I'm the one who should be nervous. _But then it struck him- Fili was nervous _for _him. They had always shared a bond, the Durin brothers, but until this day Kili never realised how strong this bond was. They were so close they were like one person. And maybe that's why they sometimes found it hard to get along- people find it hard to love themselves, because we notice our own imperfections. And Fili and Kili could see each other's imperfections clearly. But Kili knew he loved Fili, and Fili loved him back. He didn't know why he'd ever hidden something from his brother- they had a special bond that Kili didn't have with anyone else. They were so close it was almost as if they could read each other's mind. And right now, Fili could sense Kili's nervousness and was almost absorbing it into himself. Somehow, it made Kili's nervousness go away.

And then there was Thorin, looking oddly majestic against the restless masses. His deep blue eyes were staring straight at Kili, and although his face gave away nothing, Kili could see the pride buried in his eyes. He knew that Thorin was proud of him, and he knew that no matter how he did now, he would still be Thorin's nephew, and that was really all that mattered to him.

Kili raised the bow, his lucky arrow resting gently against it. He took a long, deep breath, relaxing his muscles. He pulled the string back until it felt just right. Kili could see the painted wooden target straight ahead of him, the bullseye beckoning him closer.

Kili let his fingers go, and the world began to work in slow motion. The arrow plummeted towards the target. The audience collectively drew in a breath. Every eye was fixed on this one arrow.

And it hit the target, directly in the centre. The slow motion stopped- the crowd erupted into cheers. Kili realised with a start that he hadn't been breathing, and as he caught his breath, he turned and saw his family smiling, cheering for him. Dis on the verge of tears, yelling "That's my boy!" for the world to hear, Fili smiling the biggest Kili had ever seen and jumping for joy, and Thorin abandoning his majestic air and punching the air with his fist, his every move underlined with pride.

Kili had done it. He was the clear winner. But he didn't care about winning the competition- he cared about winning over his doubt.


	24. The Secret

Kili blearily ate another bite of his tomato. He didn't know why, but he was in the mood for eating a _whole _tomato. Maybe it was this monumental weight on his shoulders...

"Morning Kee." Dis walked into the room, rubbing her eyes groggily. She had obviously just woken up. "Is that a tomato?"

Kili stopped mid-bite. If she knew that he was eating a tomato, what else did she know?

"Kee? You ok?" Dis asked as her youngest stood petrified in front of her, eyes staring fixedly at the floor, half-eaten tomato poised at his mouth.

Kili was starting to sweat. He couldn't let Dis know of his secret. He stared at his feet, avoiding eye contact and hoping she couldn't see the blood rush to his face. He needed to make a quick getaway- the longer he stayed, the more at risk he was of telling Dis of his secret.

It wasn't as if he'd never kept secrets from Dis before- there were plenty of things he'd done and planned to do that Dis would (hopefully) never know about. But this- this was different. Fili had _asked _him to keep this secret, and to not let Dis know under any circumstances. He didn't want to let his brother down.

Kili had to act- and fast. He had already stayed for too long. Kili dropped the tomato on the floor and sprinted past Dis, not allowing her to catch him. He sprinted down the hall to his room. Dis had caught on, and was slowly jogging to catch him.

* * *

><p>Kili slammed the door behind him. Fili jumped.<p>

"Kee! You almost made me mess it up!" Fili gestured at the piece of paper and the quill in his hand.

"KILI DURIN! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME?" Dis was getting closer to the room now, and she seemed to know _exactly _what Kili was doing- hiding something from her.

Kili gulped and shot a meaningful glance at his brother, who's eyes widened. He shoved the paper under his pillow and dove onto his bed, pretending to be asleep. And not a moment to soon, either.

Dis flung the door open, to reveal Kili sitting on the floor, playing with a wooden toy.

"I'm not hiding anything from you- I'm playing. Here. By myself."

"But you were just in the kitchen, eating a tomato! You just ran in here-" Dis' voice was escalating to a yell.

"Sh! Fili's still asleep." Kili said quietly. "You might want to go back to sleep too, mum- I've been here the whole time."

"Kili- don't mess with me." Dis stared at him, clearly trying to hide the fact that she was genuinely worried.

"I'm not, mum. Are you alright?" Kili stood up, and took his mother's hand. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "You have a temperature- would you like to sit down?"

"Maybe... maybe I'll go back to sleep. Why don't you wake Fili and have some breakfast... then you can play for a while... I'll be in my room..." Dis walked out of the room, muttering softly to herself. Kili guided her a few steps further, then retreated back to his room. The moment he closed the door, Fili sat up straight.

"Nice acting. Your pretty good at lying."

"Gee, thanks."

"The strange... hypnosis thing was a pretty cool touch."

"Well, if you're gonna lie, do it well."

Fili raised an eyebrow. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

* * *

><p>"Pull it back. Further. Kili, you have to actually try." Thorin said as Kili aimed the bow at the tree stump.<p>

"I _am_ trying!" Kili released the arrow, and it fell a few centimetres short of the target.

"Are you distracted, Kee? You never miss a shot." Thorin went and collected the arrow.

"A little, I guess..." Kili sighed, and sat down. The pressure of keeping this secret to himself was getting to him;. Thorin sat down next to him.

"C'mon, Kee. Tell me what's wrong." Thorin wrapped an arm around his nephew. Kili took a deep breath, and said quietly.

"Fee said I couldn't tell."

"Is he pressuring you? Is he being mean? You can tell me, Kee- you can tell me anything. You know that, don't you?" Thorin looked Kili in the eye, genuine worry spelt out by his troubled expression.

"Fili's not being mean to me- he's being really, really nice. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

Kili felt a pang of guilt. He _wanted _to tell Thorin, he really did, but he didn't want to give away the secret.

And now, as his uncle looked at him carefully, Kili realised that Thorin thought Fili was bullying him. Yes- he could see clearly in Thorin's eyes the anxiety he was probably feeling. The black-brown depths of his eyes looked troubled, like a stormy sea, or a flat lake disturbed by ripples.

And to be perfectly honest, Kili couldn't blame him. Fili _had _been acting kinda weird, with lots of mood swings lately, so who knows how Fili was feeling towards Kili at the moment. But Fili wasn't bullying him- Kili understood that, so why couldn't Thorin? He knew no matter how hard he tried, Thorin wouldn't _fully _believe him. There was only one option- and after all, Fili had said not to tell Dis; he hadn't said anything about telling Thorin.

"I guess there _is _something I'd like to get off my shoulders..."

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, Fee!"<p>

"What? What are you talking about?" Fili looked up from his work, distracted by his brother entering the room. He carefully folded the paper- he couldn't let anyone see what was written on this paper. This was an important secret- he thought he had told Kili that. But by the sounds of things, Kili had gone and told someone else about it. Fili sighed. Kili needed to work on keeping quiet.

"I- I crumbled, Fee, I tried not to tell, I really did, but-"

"Look- it's ok. I may as well just give it to mum now-"

"Mum? But she's not supposed to know. Isn't that what you said?" Kili shot his brother a quizzical look.

"But- but you just said you told her..."

"No. I told _Uncle. _He thought you were bullying me, so I had to do _something." _

"Then... then why are you freaking out?"

"Because you told me not to tell anyone."

"Well yeah, but... you can trust Uncle." Fili said calmly. "Don't get upset, Kee- this isn't _that _big a secret."

"But you said it was important." Kili sounded almost... _hurt. _

"I just said it was important for you to not tell mum. Besides, you won't need to keep the secret after tonight." Fili reminded his brother, and unfolded the paper. He picked up his quill, and began to write again. Kili looked over his shoulder.

"It's looking good. This is going to be _perfect." _

* * *

><p>Kili stuck his head around the door. He couldn't see his mum. Cautiously, he entered the room, checking every few steps that Dis wasn't there. He was trying to avoid her, and had been doing well all day. The only problem was Dis was hanging around the kitchen- and Kili was starving. He kept repeating his mission to himself in his head- get the food, and get out. The longer he lingered in the kitchen, the more at risk of getting caught he was. Kili couldn't have another awkward scramble like this morning.<p>

He was so close now- there was a loaf of fresh bread and a slab of cheese on the table, a knife placed neatly next to it. It was very convenient that they were right there...

Kili paused. Hmm. _Very _convenient. _Very _suspicious.

The door slammed shut behind him. Kili spun around to see his mother standing in the doorway, a smirk on her face. Great- that door was the only way out... unless...

"Kili, what are you hiding from me?" Dis asked, her tone deceivingly soft. Kili knew all too well his mother could snap from calm and gentle to enraged. He gulped- he had to play it safe. Kili began to edge to his left a little.

"Nothing, mum."

"You _are _hiding something. I did run into you this morning- it wasn't a dream. That _was _a clever touch, that hypnosis thing, however I can assure you that you won't get away with anything like that again. Sweety, I will ask you again- what are you hiding from me?"  
>"Nothing!" Kili was almost there...<p>

"Kili- how often are you not up to something? Look me in the eye and tell me what you are hiding, and I might not punish you."

Kili jumped with all his strength into the air, landing squarely on the bench. Dis yelled in surprise. He pushed open the window, and hurled himself outside. He landed on the flower bed.

"Kili! Get back here! You can't just jump out the window every time I try and talk to you!" Dis' voice carried out into the garden. By the sounds of it, she was coming outside. So, naturally, Kili did what anyone would do in this situation- he sprinted as fast as he could around the house.

Dis opened the door just in time to see her youngest run around the corner of the house. She sighed and ran after him. Dis was impressed- Kili was actually very athletic. She should sign him up for cross country. There was no way she was going to catch up to him, so she leant against the side of the house to catch her breath. Wow- that was a little too much for her. She just wished that Kili would own up to whatever diabolical deeds he was plotting. He _was _planning something- Dis was sure of it. Why else would he be so keen on hiding it? She sighed, and slid down the wall to a sitting position. There was an odd ripping sound- oh great. The friction of her sliding and the roughness of the wall had ripped her dress. There it was- a jagged tear in the fine black fabric of her dress. To make matters worse, Fili had used the last of the black thread sewing up Kili's coat. She would just have to buy some more thread from the village to fix this _unsightly _hole_._

"You win this time, Kee!" Dis stood up, brushed the dirt off of her dress, and set out to buy some thread.

* * *

><p>Dis fumbled for the door knob. She had only intended to be out for a few minutes, but she had gotten sidetracked, and now darkness had fallen. At least Thorin was with the boys... wasn't he? The lights were all off, and she couldn't hear a sound. Dis finally found the knob, and opened the door cautiously. The moonlight illuminated part of the room in front of her- she couldn't see anyone. Dis began to panic.<p>

Fili heard the door creak open. He could see his mother's silhouette against the eerie dark blue of the outside. He held the paper folded in his hand. Well- it was now or never.

Fili turned to look at his uncle and brother, who were hiding behind a cabinet. Thorin gave a small nod, and Kili gave a devious wink.

Fili took a deep breath.

Dis groped around in the darkness, searching for the lantern. Her fingers closed around the metal handle. Muttering under her breath, she lit the lantern. The buttery yellow glow flooded the room.

"SURPRISE!" The three dwarves jumped out of their hiding place, their faces plastered with grins. Dis' eyes were wide- she looked mildly frightened- but she soon recovered, and gave her boys and her brother a hug.

"Happy birthday mum!" Kili smiled.

"Oh, honey- I'm so sorry I was hard on you before! Is this what you were hiding?"

Kili nodded enthusiastically.

"Well- not entirely." Fili said, and cleared his throat.

_"There once was a lady,_

_Who everyone loved_

_She was like an angel_

_Sent from above_

_She is perfect, and loving_

_She is like no other_

_And we are so very lucky_

_That she is our mother_

_Mum, we love you, _

_more than anything else_

_So today, on your birthday, _

_Don't forget to treat yourself_

_Because you're awesome_

_And don't you forget it_

_So relax- take it easy,_

_Be calm and don't sweat it_

_You're fantastic, you're perfect_

_you're number one_

_You make us the proudest_

_Because we are your sons."_

Fili looked up from the page that he had written into his mother's eyes. Her sapphire blue eyes were brimming with tears.

"Did... did you write that?"

Fili nodded. That's what he'd been hiding from his mum- a birthday poem.

"Oh... oh you guys... come here!" Dis pulled her family in for a hug. Her eyes met with Thorin's over her son's head.

"Did... did you organize this, Thorin?"

Thorin smiled wisely. "No- this was all the boy's doing. They planned and organized it- all I did was play along."

Dis looked touched. Thorin wrapped an arm around her.

"Happy birthday, sis."


	25. The Thief

"Almost... there..." Fili stretched as tall as he could. He couldn't _quite _reach the arrow.

"C'mon, Fee- it's so close! Just stretch up and grab it!" Kili said as he looked on from a distance. His brother was balanced precariously atop a wooden stool, desperately searching for the arrow that was somewhere on top of the cupboard.

"It's not that easy, Kee!"

"Sure it is. Just reach up and grab it! It's not that hard- put some effort in it."

Fili sighed. "I wouldn't have to put _any _effort in if you hadn't shot it up here in the first place! You're lucky it only bounced off the wall- if you had pierced a hole in the wall, mum would have been furious! Mum would absolutely _explode _if she knew you'd been practicing archery in the house."

"Yeah, and that's why I don't plan to tell her." Kili retorted. "Besides, I wasn't _practicing_ archery. It was an accident that I shot it up there."

"Sure it was. Now... how close am I?"

Kili stood on the table, and was _just _able to see the top of the cupboard. "A little more to the left... no, the right... wait- which way is left?" Kili asked. Fili groaned. He felt his hand catch on something.

"Is this it?"

"Yeah!"

He grabbed the arrow, and handed it down to his brother who was waiting expectantly below him.

"You owe me."

"Thanks Fee!" Kili hugged him around the legs. Fili let go to hug him back, and lost his balance. Kili leapt backwards, out of the way. Fili grasped desperately at the cupboard, trying to grab anything, _anything _to steady himself. He managed to grab hold of a wooden box before he crashed to the ground, taking the box with him.

"Ouch."

"You ok?"

"Yeah."

"I'm really sorry."

"It's fine." Fili propped himself up to a sitting position. His every move hurt. He looked up at the cupboard. There didn't appear to be any damage. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Fee- the box! It's broken!" Kili gasped. Apparently, Fili had spoken too soon- something was damaged. And by the looks of things, it was damaged beyond repair.

The box Fili had grabbed lay bent and smashed on the floor behind them. There were papers strewn around it, and a wrapped bundle. Fili felt a rush of feelings- anger, despair, worry, guilt- but suddenly, something drowned them out. Kili's laughter. He had walked over to the wreckage and picked up a paper.

"What is it?"

"A drawing of mum when she was younger. She looks ridiculous!" Kili laughed.

"Kee! That's hardly how you should talk about your mother!" Fili was appalled, but curiosity got the better of him. "Hey- let me see."

The drawing was indeed comical, and obviously intended to be so. Right- now that the fun was over, Fili thought that they should put everything away, and wait for Dis to come back from the village meeting. They would have to explain what happened once she got back. Before Fili could voice his plan to his brother, Kili had begun to go through more of the papers.

"Kee, we shouldn't-"

"How cool is this? This is all mum's old stuff! Please can we look through them?"

Fili glanced at the sky outside. It was still bright and sunny. Dis had said she wouldn't be back until nightfall.

"Fine."

Fili readjusted his stance. They were both sitting on the cold stone floor of the kitchen, going through papers that belonged to their mother, Fili slowly starting to bruise and in intense pain- yet somehow, Fili felt perfectly happy.

"So what is all this stuff?"

"Certificates, mostly. Who would have thought mum was such a perfect child?" Kili mused.

"Here- that one looks different." Fili pointed to a lined piece of paper that sat a bit away from him. Kili picked it up and skim read it.

"It's a diary entry."

"Just one entry?"

"Yup." Kili continued to read. "Huh? This doesn't make any sense..."

"What? What does it say?"

Kili cleared his throat, and began to read.  
><em>"Dear Diary.<em>

_I finally did it. I conquered my fears, and I am so happy. Sure, some were shocked (to say the least), and no one really expected it- people have always thought I'm a good, quiet girl. I proved them all wrong. Okay, so some feel robbed, but I feel great- and I have this sword to prove it." _

Kili looked up from reading, and stared confusedly at Fili, who returned his perplexed gaze.

"What sword? Mum doesn't have a sword. Ladies don't carry swords." Fili said. Kili nodded in agreement.

"Something isn't right."

"Hey- what's in that bundle?" Fili pointed to the wrapped item, which Kili hastily proceeded to open.

They both gasped sharply.

It was an sword, in prime condition, jewelled and gilded and carved. The blade was of fine silver, surely elvish, and was decorated with swirling, twisting carvings. The hilt was made of gold, with small diamonds beset in the rim. This was the most beautiful- and expensive- sword either of the boys had ever laid eyes on.

"How did mum come by this? Surely she wouldn't have bought it- even the prince's sister wouldn't spend that much money on a sword that they would never use."

"If she didn't buy it..." Kili stared intently at the sword, then at Fili. "She must have stolen it."

"Kili. That's ridiculous. Why would mum, descendent of kings, ever feel the need to steal? Besides- we hardly know enough to assume that."

"Oh, but we do! Look- it says right here- _some feel robbed. _She wrote it herself!"

Fili wished he could argue, but the proof was right there in his mother's curling handwriting.

"Well... what do we do? Do we report it?"

"No! Are you mad, sir?" Kili yelled.

"Did you just call me sir?"

"We can't just report her to the authorities! They'll send her to jail- and trust me, I know how hard a prisoner's life is. I wouldn't want to put my own mother through that."

"You were in prison for a day, Kee, and besides- don't you want justice? If mum has stolen something, doesn't she deserve punishment?"

"Not if it means besmirching the name of Durin! Just _think _ of the uproar it will cause if the King's own _sister _is accused of stealing. We will bring shame on our name!"

Well, he _had _a point.

"But still- isn't seeking justice and publicly shaming ourselves better than living with a thief an having the guilt hang over us for years to come?"

"True..." Kili paused, deep in thought. "Then there's only one solution."

"Confront mum, tell her the truth about what we did and ask her about this?"

"No. Run away, change our names and start life in a new country."

"You've got to be _joking. _Kili, I'm not leaving myself in your hands again when it comes to navigation. Remember the map incident?"

"Oh, c'mon. I got us out, didn't I? And besides- you even said that I was good at geography."

Fili remembered distinctly telling Dis that Kili had a talent with geography, but Dis _had _said she wouldn't tell Kili, to avoid embarrassment...

And she had lied. If Fili couldn't trust her then, could he trust her now?

Come to think of it, he didn't know much about Dis' youth. She could very well have been a robber, for all Fili knew. Fili gulped.

"Let's pack our things."

* * *

><p>The sky was a soft lavender colour when Fili had finished packing. He had packed only the essentials- he didn't want to have to lug around a huge pack when he was on the run. He walked into the kitchen just as Kili was finishing the note they were going to leave in their absence.<p>

"What do you think?" Kili handed him the note.

_Dear mum. _

_We saw the sword- we know the truth. We have run away for your safety and ours._

_Until then, _

_We are yor ever faithful sons, _

_Fili and Kili. At your service. _

" You misspelt 'your'."

"Oh shut up- spelling mistakes make things more personal." Kili grumbled. "All packed."

Fili nodded slowly. "Yeah."

He couldn't believe it. He was leaving his childhood home. He may never see it again.

His mother was a master criminal.

Him and his brother were running away from their own mother's past.

And not once did it seem slightly illogical.

* * *

><p>Kili opened the door slowly. A gust of cold air met them. One step out the door was all it would take for them to have officially run away.<p>

"Just out of curiosity- where are we going?"

"To where ever the wind takes us."

"The wind? Why would the wind effect the way we walked? We aren't dragons-"

"Hush, child. Nothing is certain anymore."

Kili was right. Nothing was certain.

"Let's go." Kili stepped out of the door, and motioned for Fili to follow. He set one foot outside.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dis' voice carried from the top of the hill. She was running towards them. Evidently, the meeting must have been disbanded early.

"She's onto us! Run!" Kili bolted into the shadows ahead.

"Kili, no-" Fili yelled after his little brother. Maybe running away was a bad idea.

"GET BACK HERE YOUNG MAN!" Dis yelled.

A muffled voice came from the forest where Kili had disappeared into. "NEVER! YOU'LL NEVER CONVERT ME TO YOUR TREACHEROUS WAYS!"

"My- my treacherous ways? Fili, what is he on about?" Dis stood beside her eldest son.

"There's been... a miscommunication. I hope." Fili said quietly. What was he thinking? This woman wasn't a thief.

"Oh. Do you want to tell me about it inside? It's freezing out here."

"Do you want me to go get Kili?"

"No." Dis decided. "He'll come back. He always does."

* * *

><p>"You thought <em>what?" <em>Dis asked.

"That you were a thief." Fili admitted. Kili sat in the chair next to him, sheepishly looking down at his hands.

"What made you think that?"

"The diary- and the sword-" Kili began.

"The sword? I don't- wait. Did you two look into my personal box?"

"It was an accident! Look- it's a long story, but we found the sword, and the diary entry that said you stole it."

"I didn't steal it! I won it in a competition- a sword fighting competition!"

"I didn't know they had sword fighting for girls."

"They don't. I was the only girl to have ever won a competition. That's why everyone was so shocked."

"Prove it!" Kili yelled.

"Sure." Dis pulled a certificate out of the pile, and read:

"_This certificate is awarded to Dis Durin for exceptional performance in the art of sword fighting. May she keep this sword as a token to remember this competition by."_

She looked up defiantly. "See?"

"Why would they give someone such an expensive sword as a prize?"

"It's not an actual sword- it's a trophy. The jewels are fake. You couldn't actually fight someone with it."

"But- but- you said they were robbed!"

"I said they _felt _robbed- the other _male _contestants felt robbed of the prize because I was a girl. Kili, why don't you believe your mother is innocent?"

"I do, I just- I'm sorry, mum, I thought we would have to run away forever, change our names and never look back."

Dis raised an eyebrow.

"Right."

"We have a better explanation than that, don't worry." reassured Fili.

"Good. You can think of it whilst you're in your room. Don't come out unless you are ready to apologise and make up for damaging and going through my personal things." Dis snapped.

The boys exchanged glances, and sighed.

"Yes, mum."


	26. The Berries

"Ready or not, here I come!" Fili's voice echoed from over the hill. Kili grinned. There was no _way _Fili would find him here. He was the best hide-and-seeker ever!

He had chosen a nice, shady place next to a small stream. The light was mottled through the forest canopy above him, and the dip in the hill where he was sitting made a perfect shelter. He took off his shoes, and let the water of the stream trickle over his toes. The cool flowing water was a nice contrast to the fairly warm day.

"I'm gonna find you!" Kili heard his brother's voice from far away. He sounded like he was going in the wrong direction. He couldn't help but laugh a little- this was _too _easy. He should just kick back, relax, and enjoy this _beautiful _day...

Alas- there was one problem. Kili was hungry. At first, Kili thought it would go away, but the snarling hunger kept biting at him. It was ruining his perfect day. Kili knew he should probably go get something to eat, but that would reveal his absolutely amazing hiding spot to Fili.

And then- he saw them. The most beautifully formed, most deep red, most shiny berries that Kili had ever seen dangling from a branch not one metre away. They looked absolutely _divine. _However, he resisted the temptation- had Dis taught him nothing about eating strange berries? They could be poisonous, for all he knew. But then again- who says they _weren't _poisonous? What if they were the most delectable berries in all of middle earth, and Kili's common sense was stopping him from eating them? There was only one way to find out. Besides- Kili was _really _hungry. A little bite wouldn't hurt, would it?

Not for the first time, Kili put aside his common sense, and reached out to grab one of the delicious-looking berries. He wrapped his fingers around a branch, and pulled it off of the bush. Now, he had at least ten berries in his hand. He took a deep breath, plucked one off of the branch and ate it. It's sweet yet sour juice exploded in his mouth, leaving a surprisingly delectable but bitter aftertaste in his mouth. Kili loved it. He didn't feel bad- he felt great! Perfect- the berries weren't poisonous. Kili sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed his berries.

* * *

><p>"Kili! There you are! It's been seven-" Fili stopped short. The excitement that came with finding his brother was washed away with dread. Kili was lying at an awkward angle on the ground, groaning funnily and holding his stomach. There was red stains on the earth all around him.<p>

"Kee! Oh god, are you ok?"

Kili nodded blearily. It wasn't convincing.

"You need help! Is- is this blood?" Fili looked worriedly at the red stains.

"Juice."

"What?"

"It's juice. Berries..." Kili unfurled his hand to reveal one berry in his hand. It was surrounded with red stains the exact same colour as it.

"Did- where did these come from?"

Kili faintly raised a hand and pointed at a bush. There were a few berries left, but at least three branches had been cleared of berries.

"Lord, Kee, how many did you eat?"

"I stopped counting at eleven..."

"Kili you idiot! Hasn't mum told you about not eating strange berries?"

"But they tasted so _good." _Kili groaned. He made an odd coughing sound, and rolled over and threw up.

Fili was starting to sweat. His brother could be dying for all he knew. He had obviously just eaten a ridiculous amount of poisonous berries, and now there was poison coursing through his veins. Who knew how potent the poison was? There was only one thing to do- get him to a doctor.

And then he remembered. Dis was out until noon at a meeting with everyone else in the community (including the medics), so the boys were alone. They lived pretty far from the rest of the village, so there was no way Fili could carry his brother that far.

He grimaced. He would just have to wait.

* * *

><p>Fili set his brother down in bed. He had managed to carry Kili from the woods to the house, but even that short walk had exerted him. Kili had stopped moaning, but he was still clutching at his stomach. Fili wished Dis was here- she always knew what to do in these situations. She should really stop leaving the boys home alone, Fili reflected- something always went wrong when she was out. Kili coughed, and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes.<p>

_Think, Fili, think- what would mum do?_

Well, Dis usually took their temperature. Fili touched the back of his hand to his brother's forehead. It was burning. He needed to cool his brother down.

"Stay put, Kee. I'm going to get you a glass of water. Hang in there." And with that, he left the room.

* * *

><p>Kili opened his eyes. What were all these colours? And where was he? He was in a bright yellow room, with a rainbow painted across the walls, and ice cream piled high in the corners. The floor was rainbow, and glowing. There were several gnomes doing a choreographed dance in front of him. Kili didn't know why, but he had the urge to join in.<p>

_Squat and clap, squat and clap. _The Gnome's melodic movement soothed Kili. He squatted, and clapped, in time with the gnomes. The rainbows flashed before his eyes. This was a lot of fun.

* * *

><p>Fili leant over and scooped up a glass of water for Kili. The stream water was cold, and fresh, and would be good for him. Wait- what was that noise? Was it... was it clapping? Fili looked back up at the house where he had left his brother. Yes, there was definitely a steady clapping noise. But no... it wouldn't be Kili, would it? He should go and check anyway- and he had the water, too.<p>

* * *

><p>Kili stopped dead. The gnomes had disappeared. A large horse with one white horn in it's head appeared before him.<p>

"Will you come with me on an adventure?" It asked in a booming deep voice.

"But... why me?" Kili stammered.

"The gnomes told me that you are the chosen one." The horned-horse boomed. "And now I, the sacred unicorn, bestow upon you a quest!" The gnomes reappeared, and continued their dance, but more frantically and quicker this time. Kili had found himself in the middle of a ritualistic gnome-chant.

"Yes! I accept the quest!" Kili yelled. The colours flashed before his eyes, and the room was aglow with rainbows. Everything was so bright it gave him a headache. Everything except...

* * *

><p>"Kili! What are you doing?" Fili grabbed his brother and shook him. Kili had a glazed look in his eyes, and he was dancing to an imaginary beat.<p>

"The sacred unicorn has chosen me!" Kili yelled. He appeared to be staring straight past Fili. _Oh god. He's hallucinating. _

* * *

><p>"Kili, stop acting crazy!" Fili said. Kili scowled. Usually Fili's eyes were piercingly blue, but against the crazily bright blues of the rainbow, his eyes looked dull.<p>

"You're eyes are worrying." The gnomes chuffed in agreement. "See? The gnomes agreed."

* * *

><p>"The gnomes? Kili, snap out of it!" Fili was really worried know. His brother was hallucinating, There was nothing he could do. He let go of his brother, who began to dance rapidly. He had a far-off look in his eyes, and didn't appear to register what Fili was saying.<p>

* * *

><p>The unicorn brayed. "Onwards, small hero- through the portal!" A fluorescent green portal appeared in front of Kili. He jumped for joy, and ran straight to it. He ran straight into a solid wall where the portal was.<p>

"It's not letting me through!"

"Try harder!" commanded the sacred unicorn.

* * *

><p>"Stop, Kee- you'll hurt yourself!" Fili yelled as Kili ran into the wall repeatedly. There was nothing there.<p>

"I- need- to- go- through- the- portal!" declared Kili as he repeatedly rammed himself into the wall.

"But- the door's over there!" Fili pointed to the door in the corner of the room. Kili didn't listen. Fili had to think quick- he couldn't let Dis come home to her youngest son repeatedly slamming himself against the wall. _Think, Fili, think - _how could he get Kili moving?

* * *

><p>"I still- can't- get- through-" Kili said. The unicorn sighed.<p>

"Maybe you _aren't _the chosen one.."

"No- no- I am! I'm the chosen one!" yelled Kili. He backed up, preparing to take a run at the wall.

* * *

><p>Fili thought quickly as Kili ran straight up to the wall. He grabbed his little brother's arm, and swung him with all his might towards the door. Kili ran straight out of the door.<p>

* * *

><p>"See! I told you I could do it!" Kili declared triumphantly. The room flashed yellow.<p>

"Congratulations, little one. You have passed the first test." the unicorn said. "Now, we must voyage to the beyonds."

"But why, sacred unicorn? Why?" Kili asked in awe.

"You'll see when the time comes."

"But I want to know now! Tell me, sacred unicorn!" Kili cried.

"No! First, we ride! Grab your horse, boy, and ride on!"

Kili turned to see a horse in the corner. How had he not noticed it before? The room flashed rainbow, and the gnomes reappeared, chanting in unison. Giant butterflies flew overhead, serenading Kili to wish him the best of luck on his epic quest. Apples and cherries rained from the ceiling, creating puddles of jam on the floor. Bubbles erupted from the walls, tickling Kili's face, and gently pushing him towards the horse.

"Mount your horse, young soldier, and begin the quest!" commanded the sacred unicorn. Kili climbed atop the horse, and yelled, "Onwards! Faster, noble steed!"

The horse didn't move.

* * *

><p>Fili ran in on his brother sitting on a chair, commanding it forwards.<p>

"Kili- what's happening?" Fili asked gently.

"My- my horse won't move... do you think he's sick?" Kili responded with genuine worry. Fili didn't know how to respond. He could see Dis in the distance out of the window. He only needed to keep Kili occupied for another minute.

"It's... it's not a horse..."

* * *

><p>"You're right!" Kili looked down at his horse, which had slowly morphed into a turtle. He couldn't ride a turtle to his quest- turtles were much too slow! There was only one thing to do. He couldn't let a lack of transportation delay this epic quest. He would just have to carry the turtle himself.<p>

* * *

><p>Dis sighed. These meetings were getting frequent, and each more and more serious, She felt really bad about leaving the boys home alone- <em>again. <em>She could only hope nothing bad had happened to them. She was a few steps away from the house when the front door was flung open, and Kili ran out, carrying a chair, yelling "This quest shan't wait any longer!" He had a glazed look in his eyes as he ran off into the forest.

Fili ran out after him, saying something about not believing the 'sacred unicorn'. Dis stopped her eldest as he ran past.

"What is happening?"

"He... ate some berries... and now he's hallucinating..."

"Oh dear- I know the sort. How did he get any of them? Weren't you watching him?"

"We were playing hide and seek, and he found a spot near the stream."

"Of course. Do you know your brother is lucky to be alive?" Dis said calmly. Fili felt nauseous.

"Mum, I'm so sorry- I should have watched him more carefully-"

"Don't apologise to me- apologise to your brother. C'mon- let's go find him."

* * *

><p>"That should do the trick." Dis fed Kili the last drop of antidote. Kili moaned.<p>

"My face hurts."

"Oh, poor baby." Dis cradled his head. "You'll feel better soon, honey. I'll go get you some more water."

After Dis had left, Fili cautiously approached his brother's bedside.

"Um... Kee? I'm sorry."

"What? Why? It's not your fault I was hungry."

"Oh, Kee. You're an awesome little brother- you know that right?"

"Yeah..."

"And... I'm sorry you didn't get to complete the quest."

"What quest?"

"The one the sacred unicorn gave to you."

Kili stared at Fili funnily. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey guys! How's life? I'd just like to thank my awesome friend KillerKittyKat22 for the helpideas with this chapter and the last (I'm so sorry Cat- I forgot to give you credit last time!) I hope you guys liked it- if you have any ideas/requests, comment them in the reviews section! **

**Thanks so much! Hope you guys are all having a nice day!**

**Bye~!**


	27. The Pond

"Fee? _Fee?" _Kili called, his small voice creeping through the forest.

"Almost ready!" Fili yelled. Kili braced himself, and prepared to take the ride of his life.

They were in the beautiful forest out the front of their house, and this was where the boys were planning to while the summer away, playing games every single day. It was hot, and dry, and Kili desperately wanted to have a swim. Alas, the large pond at the end of the stream was surrounded by high banks that made it borderline impossible for anyone to go _near _the pond, let alone swim in it. But the brothers had a plan.

Kili tested his vine. It was fairly sturdy, and when he pulled down on it, it sprang back flexibly. Perfect. He positioned himself, ready at any second to kick off of the ground and ride the vine over the pond. There, he would let go and finally get to enjoy the cool water. He could _just _see Fili on the other side, holding his vine, ready as ever, preparing to jump at the same moment as Kili.

This would be the most epic stunt the forest had ever seen.

"Ok. In three, two..." Fili pushed himself off of the forest floor, the rubbery vine lifting him into the air and swinging him towards the pond. He was almost there- he could almost jump off and into the cool water.

"One!" He yelled. Kili was about to jump when a sickening twanging noise resonated through the forest. Fili's vine dropped significantly, and his smooth motion disturbed. He dropped a few metres.

"Fee!" Kili yelled in shock. His brother was now dangling precariously over the pond.

"Um... Kee? A little help here?" Fili clung the vine for dear life.

"Let go!"

Something foreboding from beneath the surface disturbed the smooth serenity of the water.

"I can't- I don't know how deep it is!"

Kili whirled around, searching- he needed to test the depth of the water. He found a large stick, and plunged it into the murky water.

"Can you find the bottom?"

"No- it's deeper than the length of this stick." Kili said, and gulped. The stick was almost twice the height of Fili. There was no way he could drop into the water that was this deep. And now that Kili thought about it, the walls of the pond were so steep that he wouldn't be able to climb out. He should have _really _thought this through.

"Um... hang in there!" Kili called out.

"I can't for much longer!" Fili yelled back. He was mentally kicking himself- of course this was a stupid plan. Now, the water didn't look cool and refreshing- it looked deep and foreboding.

"Hold on! I'll go get mum!"

"Don't leave- if I fall in, I won't be able to get out." Fili felt an odd sense of... _indignity. _He didn't want to call on his brother for help. He was meant to be the older one, the one always getting his little brother out of tight spots. Kili was obviously the more athletic one, and Fili's only hope of feeling physically superior was due to the fact that he was older. But now- now he was begging for his brother to save _him. _Fili had thought he hated taking care of Kili- but now that Kili was responsible for his fate, he felt sick at the prospect.

On the other hand, Kili felt amazing. It was him- _him- _that would be doing the rescuing today. He could have his chance to be the hero. What should he do? He couldn't leave his brother there alone, hanging from a vine over potentially dangerous water- right? Actually, as Kili thought about it, there was really nothing stopping him from walking away and abandoning his brother.

"Kili? A little help here?" Fili whimpered, plea in his voice. The heat of the day plus the nervousness was making his palms sweaty, and he was beginning to slip downwards.

"Not right now- I'm thinking."

"Well, you'd better think of a plan soon, because-"

"Oh! Not of a plan- about whether or not I should leave you here."

"Excuse me?" Fili spun around and glared at his brother. He could _not _be serious.

"Yeah- I mean, I could just leave you here. I wouldn't mind."

Fili let out a cry of desperation and anger. Hm- apparently, Fili _would _mind.

"You wouldn't do that to me." Kili could _not _be serious. Fili needed to come up with something, and fast.

"Why shouldn't I?" Kili asked. It was odd- there wasn't a _trace _of malice in his voice, just... genuine curiosity. _Think, Fili, think..._

"I would owe you! You could save my life, and I'd be forever at your service. I'd do your chores for... a week! No- two! Please, Kee, I beg you." Kili looked at his brother. The pleas were real- Kili could see the desperation in his brother's watery blue eyes, staring at him like a young child, _pleading. _

But then it struck him- he didn't need his brother to be in debt to him. He shouldn't even have to consider whether or not to save his brother's life. So why was he? He loved his brother- he was sure of that. Wait- did he?  
>Kili shook his head, as if the clear it. All these thoughts and doubts were making him dizzy. He just wanted to think straight for once.<p>

"Kili-"

"Give me a moment, please!" Kili held his head in his hands. An intense headache was blossoming in his little head.

"Kili, I know, but-" Fili said frantically as he slipped down further. There was something in the pond beneath him perturbing the water. This couldn't be good.

"No- just one second..." Kili muttered. Come on- there had to be an answer...

"KILI DURIN! LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!" Fili yelled as loudly as he could. Kili whirled around and stared at him in shock. "Right. Now that you're listening, I think I'd like to point out that I'm about to die. There's something underneath me in this murky water that could potentially kill me more. I would like it if you could please help me out here- please?"

Kili gasped. He understood it now- why he considered leaving his brother. His brother was so... important to him. Fili was a huge part of Kili's life, and Kili just... wanted to know what it would be like if he was to leave him for a bit. But now that Kili thought about it, he could never leave Fili behind. Sure, he wanted alone time, but he could never leave his brother behind forever. He needed to save him.

_Come on, Kili, think..._

This was is- his chance to be the hero. Why couldn't he think of an idea? Thorin always got to be the hero- where did his ideas come from?

"Kili- have you got this under control?" Asked Fili, breathing deeply. He tried to mask the concern and worry in his voice with calm, and he was praying that it worked.

Did Kili have this under control? He just needed an idea- one idea that could save his brother and restore his inner peace.

_Think, Kili..._

"Kili- do you have this under control?" Fili asked, his voice slower and more hesitant.

The truth was, Kili would've loved to say that he had it all under control, but then he would've been lying to himself. It was times like this that he needed Fili to calm him down, to hear his brother's caring words, like a net for him to fall back on.

Wait- that was it- a net!

Last summer, Dis had taught the boys how to weave nets. Kili hadn't done very well- he took too long. But... it was about here that they had learnt... surely Kili had discarded his net around here somewhere. He started upturning foliage where he could , searching in desperation for the net.

"Kili- Kili this is no time for gardening..." Fili said, doubt wavering his voice.

"I just need to find... the net..." Kili muttered. Fili slid a further few centimetres. His hands were now only a centimetre from the end of the vine. If Kili took any longer... Fili gulped. The swelling underneath the water increased. Fili did _not _want to fall into the pond for fear of getting killed, by whatever was disturbing the surface of the water, or drowning in the insane depth.

"AHA!" Kili yelled, as he triumphantly lifted a net into the air. It was overgrown with moss, and only half-finished, but it was still a net.

"Kili, what are you intending to-" Fili was cut off by his brother throwing the net over to him. "KILI NO!" Fili yelled as the net flung towards him.

"Don't worry, Fee, I know what I'm doing." Kili smiled slightly as he proudly showed Fili his fist wrapped around the other side of the net. The end that he had thrown at Fili caught on the end of his foot.

"Lift up your foot, and don't let the net slip away." Kili instructed. He wasn't going to leave this part of him behind- he needed his brother.

"Ok..." Fili reluctantly did what his brother told. It felt strange, following your younger brother's instructions. It was actually a good plan, when Fili thought about it, but his pride blinded him from seeing that. The net slipped over his foot.

Kili began to pull the net towards him, carefully bringing Fili over too. This was so exciting- he was finally saving his brother. He was keeping his brother close to him- he had made the choice. It was not easy work- Fili was much heavier than Kili- and soon, Kili found himself struggling.

"Um... Fee? What should I do?" The spur of the moment heroism had gone. Kili found himself becoming reliant on Fili again. But for some reason, Kili didn't mind. He just wanted Fili to be safe again.

Fili on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Kili wanted his help. He hadn't outgrown his big brother's help.

Something above him snapped. Fili gulped.

"Um... just pull me over to the side."

"I can't! You're too heavy!" Kili dug his heels into the ground and pulled. The net began to slip out of his grip.

"Boys?" Dis' voice rang through the forest. "Are you out here?"

"Yes! Help, mum, help!" Kili yelled. There was a moment's silence before the boys heard the sound of their mother rushing through the foliage towards them.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was frantic.

"Fili's stuck and I can't save him!"

Dis crashed through the foliage and took in what was before her. Her eldest was dangling above a deep pond from a vine with a net around his foot, whilst her youngest was on land, holding that net.

Something else twanged in the canopy above. Fili dropped a few centimetres. Dis screamed. She ran to the pond's edge, but stopped abruptly when she saw the water swelling.

"What is that? Kili, what's in the water?" Dis backed up and grabbed for Kili's hand.

"I don't know- mum, help me out here!" Dis spun around and got a hold of the net, and, in time with Kili, pulled Fili and the vine he was on towards the shore. When Fili was hovering just above the steep sides of the pond, Dis rushed over to him and gently helped him ashore.

"You poor baby... what on earth were you doing?"

"We just wanted to go swimming..."

Dis sighed, and shook her head. "I'm not leaving you two alone again for a _long _time."

**Hey guys!**

**How's life going? **

**I just wanted to tell you all that I've decided to start publishing on WattPad too. You can actually read this very fic on WattPad right now' 'The Fili and Kili Chronicles' by tPHfME (Which, by the way, stands for the Potterhead from Middle Earth).**

**So for all you who prefer to read on WattPad, there you go! And, if you happen to know people who enjoy reading WattPad... *hint hint*...**

**And also- sorry that I haven't been posting for a while. Due to a mixture of school, sickness and musicals, I haven't been able to write. However, I'll be writing a little more frequently soon.**

**Enjoy your day!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	28. The Cabinet

"Right. This meeting is only going to be two hours long-"

"_Only?" _Kili moaned.

"- and I'm _not _leaving you two at home alone _again, _so you'll just have to wait until we're done." Dis finished.

"What are we supposed to do while the meeting's on?" Fili asked.

"Just... just sit in the foyer." Dis said dismissively.

"For _two whole hours?" _Kili asked incredulously. "But-"

"But _nothing_. The last few times I have left you alone, you have only proved to me that you can't be trusted on your own." Dis opened the door to the town hall where the meeting was about to take place.

"Oh, come on- what have we done that is so bad?" Kili whined.

Dis glared at her youngest as she ushered them inside. "What do you mean, what have you done? Need I remind you: you went through my belongings and convicted me of being a thief, you ate berries that caused you to hallucinate, and you almost died because you wanted to _swim! _There is no way on _earth _that I am going to leave you two alone again. Instead, you will wait outside while I'm in this meeting!" Dis said definitively.

"_Fine..." _Kili muttered with annoyance.

"Ok. We're a little late, so I'm going to go into the conference room now and you _mustn't _make _any _noise!" Dis warned. She patted each of the boys on the heads, and quietly slipped into the conference room for the community meeting.

"Right. You heard her. Let's sit down." Fili motioned to a bench in the corner of the foyer.

"But Fee... it's _two hours long!" _Kili groaned.

"Yeah, I know. But if we just sit quietly, maybe the time will pass faster."

"That, Fili, is both a stupid _and _boring idea." Kili said with conviction. "Let's play a game."

"Um... fine. What game do you want to play?" Fili sat down.

"Remember when we were really little? And we used to pretend to fight Smaug? What if..."  
>"Kili, no." Fili remembered playing 'kill Smaug' all too well. For some reason, Kili always got to play the hero, and Fili was always stuck being Smaug. He also recalled with clarity the accidents that ensued playing this game. It was <em>not <em>the best idea to pretend to slay a dragon when they had been asked to keep quiet.

"Fine... maybe we could play that game where we sword fight using sticks... except we can use those swords!" Kili's eyes widened in amazement as he caught sight of two magnificent swords mounted in a glass case on the wall. There was a plaque underneath that told of the rich history of the two swords. Fili would have loved to read and find out more about them if it weren't for the fact that his younger brother was trying to open the case and retrieve the swords so that he could play with them.

"Kili- stop. You can't take the swords out, and we most definitely cannot sword fight in the foyer of a community centre."

"You're no fun, Fili." Kili said dejectedly. "Why don't you want to play a game?"

"I do, it's just-" Fili shifted in his seat. "Mum told us to stay put and be quiet, and I don't want to disobey her."

Kili scoffed. "Surely she knows us better than to expect that we will sit still and in silence for two hours."

He did have a point.

"What if we explore? We don't have to be very loud." Kili suggested.

_Well, this is probably the best idea that he's going to come up with, _Fili thought. "Fine. We'll explore. But we can't make too much noise- ok?"

"Ugh- fine. We'll be quiet."

Kili found a door leading into another corridor. "Hey Fee- let's explore in here."

"Um... sure..."

"What is this place?" Kili walked around, looking in amazement at the displays on the walls around them. There were paintings, and relics, and plaques galore plastering the corridor and telling of the town's rich history.

"I think it's like a museum. Or... some sort of documentation of-"

"Fee! Look over here!" Kili pointed to a cabinet of some sort in the corner of the room. "What do you reckon is inside it?"

"Is it open?" Fili asked absentmindedly as he read one of the scrolls pinned to the wall.

"Well... no, but I reckon we could pick the lock if we tried." Kili observed, searching himself for something that could pick a lock.

"Kili, if it's locked, it's locked for a reason."

"Since when has a lock stood in the way of adventure?" Kili retorted, and pulled a thin bone pin from his sock. He then jimmied the lock with the pin.

"Why was there a pin in your sock?" Fili turned around and approached Kili cautiously.

"In case I ever need to pick a lock." Kili said matter-of-factly.

"Kili, don't break into things. Princes don't break into things."

"I don't care. I just wanna find out what's inside." Kili then proceeded to open the door and step inside the cabinet. "Wow. It's dark in here."

"Is there anything interesting in there?"

"I can't see anything. I don't think there is..."

"Right. That was fun. Now get out." Fili said impatiently.

"You're no fun, Fee, I- oh. Wait a second. I'm stuck." Kili's voice came from the darkness inside the cabinet.

"What do you mean you're stuck?"

"I mean that my shirt is caught on something I can't see and I can't get out."

"See? That's what you get for doing something you're not supposed to. Now, get yourself free and let's move on."

"Fee, I _can't. _I'm stuck. I'm trying to get free, I am, but I can't. Can you help me?"

"Sure. Whatever. Fine." Fili rolled his eyes and stepped into the cabinet too. Kili was right- it was pitch black inside the cabinet. "Where are you?"

"Right here."

"That's not helpful, Kili." Fili stuck his arm into the darkness, and hit Kili's face.

"Ouch."

"Sorry! Now, where are you stuck?"

"Right here. See- it won't detach itself."

"You have to ease the shirt off of the catch- stop squirming."

"You're tickling me- stop! Stop!" Kili laughed, and, in the darkness, accidentally elbowed Fili in the face.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, but you were tickling me!"

"I'm- not- tickling- ugh, stay still! Fili said somewhat loudly. Kili squirmed more, and knocked into the side of the cabinet. The door slammed shut. The darkness completely enveloped the two of them.

"Great. Now look what you've done." Fili groaned.

"Sorry Fee... but I'm free now! We can leave." Kili said sheepishly. He reached a hand out and tried to push open the door.  
>"Um... I can't open it."<p>

"What- what do you mean?"

"I'm pushing it, and it's not opening."

"Try turning the knob, Kee." Fili said frustratedly.

"I can't _find _the knob. It's too dark."

"Let- me-" Fili wriggled around and tried the knob. It didn't budge. "You locked us in a cupboard, Kee!"

"Don't worry- someone will find us soon." Kili concluded, reassuring himself as much as he was Fili.

"They're all in a meeting, They won't be out for at least another one and a half hours! Kili, what have you done?"

"Hey- _I_ haven't done anything. At least- not on purpose." Kili amended.

"If you haven't noticed, we are _locked,_" Fili reiterated, "in a _cabinet._"

"I'm sorry. I really am." Kili said quietly. "So... do you want to play a word game while we're waiting?"

Fili didn't reply.

"Are you giving me the silent treatment?" No response.

"Fine. Then I won't talk to you either." Kili decided with annoyance.

The next ten minutes passed in awkward silence. Both brothers had pushed themselves into opposite corners of the cabinet, and were refusing to speak to each other. But Kili couldn't bear it any longer.

"I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"

Fili sighed. "I don't know. I just want to get out of this confounded cabinet."

"Ha! So you are talking to me!"

"Stop being so immature." Fili said blandly.

Kili was silent for a moment. "Fee- can I ask you something?"

"Um... sure." He was taken back by Kili's request. Maybe there would finally be some clarity as to how his brother felt towards him.

"So... you know how men are taller then dwarves?"

"Yeah..." This didn't seem to be going the way Fili thought it would've.

"But why? Why can't dwarves be tall?" Kili asked innocently.

"I guess... I guess it's just the way things are."

"But why?"

"Well... a long, long time ago, when everything was being made..." Fili decided to take his limited knowledge of the past and simplify it for his brother. Alas, Kili spared him the trouble.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. Also- why is fire so hot?"

Fili turned to face his brother in the darkness. Where were these questions coming from?

"That's just the way things work."

"But isn't there an explanation?"

"There probably is. I just don't know. Why do you want to know these things?"

"Why wouldn't you want to know?"

Fili paused for a second. He hadn't really thought of that.

For the following half an hour, Kili asked random questions. Fili began to feel mildly annoyed. His answer to almost all of the questions was the same.

"Why is the sky so large?"

"Because that's the way it is."

"Why can't dwarves fly?"

"Because that's the way it is."

"Why do you keep answering that?"

"Because I don't know the answer to any of these questions! Kee, what is the point of all these questions?"

"I don't know..." Kili paused shyly. "I just wanted to know..."

Fili looked quizzically at the darkness in front of him where his brother should be. He was a strange little dwarf, that Kili.

"How much longer do we have to stay in here for?" Kili whined.

"The meeting should be over soon. We've been in here for almost two hours, I would hope." Fili decided.

As if on cue, a faint scraping echoed from the corridor outside. It sounded like many people getting up out of their chairs.

"They must be done now!" Kili exclaimed. "Help! HELP!" He yelled. Fili begrudgingly joined in.

Dis walked out of the conference room. She was getting sick of all these community meetings. Oh well. At least this time, she knew her boys were safe.

Hey... where were they?

"Did anyone open the door to the Museum Hall?" a concerned male voice came from the end of the foyer. A chorus of "No"s echoed through the room.

"Hey- is that screaming? I think there's someone in the museum hall."

Dis looked up. _Oh, great._

"I think there's someone outside! Scream louder, Fee!" Kili yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Calm down, Kee- you're really loud! Surely they've heard you." Fili winced as Kili continued to yell.

"Boys? Are you in there?" Dis stood beside the cabinet, half hoping that her boys hadn't locked themselves inside. Everyone who had been in the meeting was waiting anxiously for a response. She didn't want to embarrass herself and her boys, but everyone wouldn't leave until the trouble was cleared.

"Mum! Yes, we're here!"

Dis sighed internally.

"Mum- the door's locked!" Kili yelled.

"She can hear you perfectly, Kee- you don't need to yell." Fili said.

Dis smiled apologetically as the mayor reluctantly unlocked the cabinet.

"I'm sorry Mr Mayor- it won't happen again."

"It better not happen again. You're lucky we're letting you dwarves stay with us- you can't just go and disrespect our history like this." The Mayor said.

Dis nodded understandingly.

The door swung open, and Fili and Kili tumbled out.

Dis raised an eyebrow reprovingly. "Do you boys care to explain?"

"Um..." Fili began to come up with an excuse, when Kili interrupted, by asking,

"Mum? Why is fire hot?"

Everyone's eyes got drawn to the small dwarf standing in front of the cabinet.

"Why is fire... hot?" Dis repeated confusedly.

"Yup. Like... if I touch it, why does it burn?"

"Oh... I don't know, Kili. Why does it matter?" Dis asked, and began to edge her way through the crowd, towing her sons along and avoiding eye contact with the tall men staring down on her judgmentally.

Kili sighed exasperatedly. "Why doesn't anyone know this stuff?"

"So... are you boys going to tell me what happened?" Dis asked as they walked home.

"Um... no." Kili decided. Dis, rather than being taken aback, nodded expectantly.

"Of course. You're a lot like your uncle, Kili."

"Thank you!" Kili said.

"That... that might not be a complement." Fili muttered.

**Hello all!**

**Just a random chapter... yeah...**

**So, as per usual, if you have any ideas, please let me know! All of your reviews are much appreciated- thank you so much for your lovely feedback!**

**Um... yet again- read this on Wattpad if you want!**

**Bye!**

**-The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	29. The Bonding Exercise

"Okay! Who's ready to have some fun!" Dis cheered, her voice dripping with fake joy.

Kili rolled his eyes. "Not me. I don't wanna bond, I wanna go fishing with Uncle."

"Kili, we've been over this. You and your brother have been spending a lot of time alone and without me, and you've been getting into a lot of trouble."

"Have you ever considered the fact that the reason we keep getting in trouble might be a character flaw rather than a consequence of your parenting?" Fili asked. Dis rolled her eyes.

"The child behavior experts I've talked to all say that your need to get in trouble comes from my lack of being around you."

"What? Child behavior experts? Need to get in trouble?" Kili was astonished.

"What Kili means, is why on earth would you need to go to a 'Child Behavior Expert'? Do you think there's something wrong with us?"

Dis sighed. "Not _all _the time. Now, let's get bonding."

"Hey! You-" Kili began, but Dis' stern gaze stopped him.

"You are going to have fun, and you are going to bond with me. Alright?" She asked, her tone flat.

"Okay." Fili sighed defeatedly, and sat on the floor.

"Kili?" Dis turned to her youngest.

"Fine." And he, too, sat down in defiance.

...

"Alright. Now it's your turn. Kili, roll the die."

"Why is it called a die? That sounds foreboding." Kili stated, without even moving to pick up the die.

"Just roll it, Kili." Dis sighed. This board game that she had organised wasn't going down well with her sons.

"What's the point? Why can't I just choose a number?"

"It has to be a random number, Kili."

"Well I'm random. I can think of a number. Why do I need a die?"

"ROLL IT OR SO HELP ME YOU WILL NOT BE HAVING DINNER TONIGHT!" Dis snapped. Kili tentatively leant forward and tossed the die. It landed on a three.

"Right. Now move your piece three spaces forward." She pointed to the checkered board in front of her, with some spaces written on, a crude replica of a human board game that Dis had seen in the markets.

"But if I move three forward, I have to go backwards five." Kili said, reading the words on the board.

"Yes." Dis nodded.

"I don't want a three. I want a seven."

"You can't change the number, Kee."

"But it means I have to go back two!" Kili whined.

"Yeah- that's the game."

"Really? That's the game?" Kili asked.

Dis nodded.

"This game stinks. I wanna go fishing."

"No! Uncle is going fishing alone, and he doesn't want to be bothered by you two. Instead, we will bond."

"If he didn't want to be bothered by us, why did he invite us?" Asked Fili, annoyance evident in his skeptical tone.

"Be quiet Fili. Your Uncle has made up his mind."

"No, _you_ have."

Dis glared at her eldest. "It's your go, Fee."

"Nah- I think I'd rather go find Uncle. Are you coming, Kee?"

"Of course I am." And with that, the brothers stood up and made to leave.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Dis asked.

"Fishing. Didn't you hear us?"

"No, _you _didn't hear _me._ We are going to sit here, and we are going to bond- do you understand?" Dis was almost in hysterics.

"Mum, this board game is terrible." Kili concluded.

"Well what do you want to do?"  
>"Go fishing." He stated.<p>

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GO FISHING, DO YOU UNDERSTAND, KILI?" Dis yelled.

Kili was about to protest, but Fili stopped him.

"Kee... maybe it's best if we bond with mum a little. Not for our sakes, but for hers." He whispered. Kili nodded in agreement.

"Okay mum. Let's do something fun."

"Yeah. Let's." Dis stood up, and walked over to the table. The basket full of goods she had brought back from the market rested on top. She opened it, and took out large pieces of paper. "Let's do some folding."

"We're going to fold paper for fun?"

"I've seen men do it at the markets. It looks quite nice. You have to fold paper to make it look like different things."

"Um... how?"

"I... I don't exactly know, but the fun part is, you have to find out!" Dis smiled.

"That doesn't sound fun either." groaned Kili.

Alas, they had to continue, for their mother's sanity.

...

Many paper cuts, frustrated exclamations and scrunched up wads of paper later, Dis and her sons had made no progress whatsoever. Kili's square of paper was lined and creased from all the different folds he had made, yet he continued to begrudgingly experiment with the increasingly frustrating paper. Dis was tentatively making folds, trying to fuss about the boys in order to not have to fold more. Fili was staring contemplatively at his so far untouched paper.

"Well, Fili? Are you going to start folding?" Dis asked.

"I'd rather not. I think I'll save this paper for rune practice." Fili decided as he neatly folded his paper in half and stowed it in his pocket.

"But- no, Fili, you have to fold it into a shape." Dis said, abandoning her futile attempts.

"But this is nice paper. I'd like to keep it for another time, thanks."

"Actually, I might keep my paper too." Kili decided, looking at the scrunched up wad in his hand. "It could be useful as kindling."

"Do you boys appreciate anything I do for you?" Dis yelled.

Both boys stayed silent, eyes wide. They hadn't expected Dis to snap like that.

"I go out of my way to try and have fun with you two, but all I get is sarcasm and pointless deliberation. What have I done to you?" Dis' voice was rising, her tone growing frantic. "Don't you want to have fun? Don't you want to spend time with your mother? Why would you rather go fishing with your Uncle than play games with your mum? It just doesn't make any sense!"

Kili was about to make a sarcastic comment, but held his tongue when he saw that there were tears in the corner of his mother's eyes. He decided to let her finish.

"You boys don't appreciate how hard it is for me- a single dwarven mother! All of my responsibilities, piled on top of one another!"

Fili felt a small hint of guilt- his mother was clearly in hysterics, and had gotten to the point where she wasn't making much sense.

"And then... then I take time off to play with you two and you don't want to play with _me_! I just wanted to bond with you and all you can think about is your Uncle! They warned me you'd turn out dependent on your Uncle if I let him interfere too much, but I let him help and now you hate me and you're going to turn into hooligans!"

Dis' voice had escalated to breaking point. Fili new she was under a lot of stress, and they probably should have given her games a more fair go. He was about to apologise when Kili announced,

"I don't hate you! I love you so much!" Kili said, his small voice wavering with tears. "I just didn't want to play because the games were so boring and I wanted to spend time with you but not playing boring games and I love Uncle too and sometimes I think he's so lonely and I just want to be a happy family but I love you so much!" Kili was speaking fast.

"I agree, mum. I love you too." Fili refused to cry, but as he sat there next to his sobbing brother and his weeping mother, it was hard not to. "I know it's hard for you, and we don't want to make it harder for you-"

"You don't make it harder for me. I love you two beyond belief. I just don't like it when you get in trouble all the time- that's all."

"We don't want to get in trouble, mum!" Kili cried. "We just want you to be happy!"

"Oh, come here!" Dis sobbed and pulled her boys tight to her. Fili felt a small tear welling in his eye- he didn't know why.

...

Thorin walked up to the door, pausing briefly to hear what was happening inside. Was... was it sobbing that he could hear? Had he come back from fishing to find his family distraught in a way? What had happened?

He cautiously opened the door, only to see his sister and nephews sitting on the floor, hugging, in tears, with crumpled paper and a discarded board games around them.

"What happened?" he asked slowly.

"We're bonding!" Dis sighed happily.

"Alright then... guess what?" Thorin knew _exactly _what would lighten the mood.

"What?" Sniffled Kili.

"I caught a fish!" He held up the fish for his family to see. Next to a man, it would have been arm-length, but it was almost half as tall as Thorin- quite a catch indeed. Usually, it would have fascinated his nephews to see a fish as large as this, but neither of them seemed all that interested.

"That's good. I'll cook it for dinner!" Suggested Dis as she made to stand up.

"Ooh! Can I help?" Asked Fili eagerly.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me too!" Kili jumped up and down happily.

"Of course!" Dis said, and smiled at Thorin, who smiled back.

...

As Thorin prepared himself for dinner, he smiled softly to himself.

His sister was a wonderful woman, and he knew that she was feeling a lot of pressure at the moment- and on top of that, her sons weren't exactly the most careful of of children.

It was refreshing to see them bond with their mother, thought Thorin, however he had never seen a bonding method quite as... _peculiar _as Dis'.

Oh well. Each to their own.

...

**Hi!**

**So... yeah. **

**That was a weird fic. Sorry about that.**

**Thank you to everyone for reviewing my previous chapter (and every chapter up until then)- I really appreciate every single review I receive. **

**I'm sorry, but I haven't written anything in a while because of school and stuff... *sigh* it's assessment season...**

**Anyways thanks to you all for sticking with this story for so long- I love writing, and it's just amazing that there are people who want to read what I write from all over the world. **

**As always, I appreciate reviews, feedback, and chapter ideas- and don't worry, if you suggest something/already have suggested something, I will take it/have taken it into account and will write about it soon!**

**Right now, it'll be pretty hard to write frequently, but the next few chapters will include:**

**an unexpected competition**

**an unexpected visitor**

**an unexpected phobia**

**So basically... expect the unexpected!**

**Have a great day!**

**-The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	30. The Intruder

Dis didn't like leaving her boys home alone. Nothing good ever came of it. But an urgent town meeting had popped up and there was no way she could bring the boys after the last incident.

"Be good, ok?"

"Of course we'll be good. When aren't we?" Fili joked. Dis smiled.

"I'm trusting you two. Don't fail me." She left quietly, as her sons nodded in unison.

"Right. Now that mum's gone, let's have some fun."

"Kili!"

Kili laughed. "I'm only joking, Fee."

"We can't mess this up- she really trusts us, and every single time she does we fail her. Don't you ever feel bad about that?"

Kili thought for a second. "No."

"How can you be so insensitive! She really cares about us, Kee." Fili said, looking his brother in the eyes.

"Don't use big words on me. You know I don't like it." Kili mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Kee." Fili smiled. "Now, let's do something fun _and _safe _and _not troublesome."

"Something with that many rules can't be fun!" Kili argued, but grinned.

"Sure it can!" Fili grabbed his brother's hand and ran down the hall, towing Kili towards their shared room. "How about we play 'Take Back Erebor'?"

Kili giggled in delight. His brother didn't play 'Take Back Erebor' much with him anymore. "Okay! Ooh- can I be Thorin?"

"Of course!" Fili reached up onto the shelf and handed Kili his crown. Whilst working the forges in town, Balin had noticed how they liked to pretend to be kings and kindly crafted the young dwarflings a little silver crown each. They used to be perfect fits, and whilst Kili's one still fit snugly, Fili's was a little tight now. That was one of the reasons why he enjoyed being-

"Smaug! The chiefest and greatest of calamities!" Roared Fili as he donned the green silk wings Dis had woven for them. Kili shrieked playfully as he ran for his sword. It was a stick that he and attempted to carve like a sword. It wasn't effective at slicing, but it sure did hurt when you were hit by it- something Fili knew for a fact.

Fili picked up his sword, too- another stick that Fili hadn't been bothered to carve yet. Only recently had they introduced the idea of Smaug, too, getting a weapon- Kili was getting too fast for Fili to outrun him, so before this rule, the games ended with Kili hitting his older brother repeatedly with a stick. But now Fili had a way to block the blows, and even hit back if he was feeling adventurous. However, the objective of the game was for Thorin to take back Erebor, not for Smaug to hurt Thorin, so Fili was willing to spend all his efforts on defense while his little brother attacked him.

Fili leapt onto his bed, brandishing his stick and hissing like a dragon might (although of course, neither of the brothers had ever seen a dragon). Kili turned to face his imaginary armies, commanding that they rescue the citizens whilst he, Thorin Oakenshield, took care of Smaug. Fili couldn't help but marvel at Kili's commanding presence- that is, until he laughed and ruined the effect.

"You will never defeat me, Thorin Oakenshield!" Fili taunted.

"I _shall _defeat you, Smaug, and be home in time for supper too!" Kili smiled.

"Oh? Is that so?" Fili smiled back, and swept his sword through the air, intentionally missing Kili's head by mere centimetres. Kili's eyes blazed with fiery intent as he lunged his sword at his brother, jabbing him in the leg. Fili winced. He had forgotten the pain of playing this game.

Fili knocked Kili's sword back, and ran along the bed so there was room for Kili too.

Kili leapt upon the bed. In his eyes, they were both now in Erebor, dueling for the right to inhabit the ancient dwarf kingdom.

Kili aimed a blow at Fili's arm, and Fili blocked it. Fili then decided to try and hit Kili on the leg, but to his surprise, Kili blocked him.

Maybe Kili was better at this than he thought.

The next few hits were in quick succession. Kili faked a swipe at Fili's left arm, causing Fili to defend his left side, leaving Kili to easily hit the right side of his stomach. Fili smiled through the pain- his little brother was good at this.

He then tried a maneuver where he flicked Kili's sword away and managed to hit his shoulder. Together, they edged back and forth, the thuds of wood on wood becoming rhythmic as they dueled.

"You're quite good at this," Fili noted.

"You're better than I remember!" Kili panted. Fili could see the sweat forming on his forehead through the blur of the swords.

"Are you getting tired, Thorin Oakenshield?" Fili asked with sincerity as he saw his brother tiring.

"Never." Kili managed to strike Fili particularly hard in the chest. "I shall never tire of fighting you, Smaug, and I will not rest until I reclaim my homeland!"

Fili had to admire Kili's perseverance. When they were younger, Fili would 'die' fairly quickly, giving Kili an almost certain victory, but today, he decided that he, too, would compete for 'Erebor'.

"Hey- Fee?" Kili asked, breaking out of character but not ceasing to fight.

"Yeah?"

"You said this had to be fun, safe and not troublesome. This is fun, but is it that safe? And is this troublesome or not?"

"It's safe as long as we don't hurt each other." Decided Fili. "And as long as we don't break anything, it's not troublesome."

"Good!" Kili smiled, then whipped his sword around and brought it down on Fili's knee so fast that Fili didn't register it.

"Where did you learn that move?"

"I've seen Thorin use it before!" Kili knocked the sword out of Fili's hand. He held his sword to his brother's chest, and said, "Give us back our mountain, Smaug, our we'll-"

Kili was cut short by a metallic clanging noise coming from somewhere else in the house.

"What was that?" He asked, his majestic facade quickly discarded in favour of a more timid one.

"I don't know." Fili glanced at the window. The sky was bruising into a dark purple. Had they really dueled for that long? Dis had left them a while after midday, but Fili wasn't aware it had gotten this late.

"Do you think it's a thief?" Kili whispered, huddling close to Fili.

"Don't be ridiculous- why would anyone want to rob us?" Fili said reassuringly, trying to calm his brother.

Kili looked up at him, his expression unimpressed. "Really? Why would anyone want to rob us? Gosh, I simply don't know why anyone would want to rob the home of the Line of Durin, heirs to the throne of Erebor, one of the most wealthy kingdoms in Middle Earth."

"Don't be sarcastic, Kee." Fili said, trying to hide a smile. He picked up the stick he had been using as a sword. "Come on- let's go check it out."

"Um... Fili?" Kili asked worriedly, "You do know that's not a real sword, right?"

Fili raised an eyebrow. "I know, but what else do we use?"

"So it _is_ a thief?"

"Not necessarily- but I still think we should arm ourselves," Fili decided, "just in case."

"Can I bring my legions?" Kili asked, a tone of seriousness about his innocent question.

"Um... don't you think they'll blow our cover?"

"I'll tell them to be quiet." Kili assured him.

"Ok- but you can't say anything too loudly. I bet they already know what to do, so you don't need to give them commands."

"Yes sir." Kili nodded, and turned to the empty bedroom, gesturing for his imaginary soldiers to rise. "We're ready to go."

Fili gulped. He wasn't sure what was out there, and he probably shouldn't have been bringing an eight year old dwarf along with him, but although he wouldn't admit it, he was afraid to go alone.

Another bang sounded from what Fili had identified as the kitchen. "Let's go."

Kili gestured for his invisible army to follow them, and they began to creep down the hall.

There was now a door between them and the kitchen, and there was definitely something (or someone) in there. Fili looked at his brother, who was brandishing his stick with such contempt that Fili was almost afraid. Kili was a born fighter, there was no doubt about that.

Kili looked up at his brother, who was now looking back at the door, calculating their approach. Kili should had been afraid, but that feeling was numbed by his brother's presence. Everything was going to be ok- Kili was sure of it- because he knew Fili was in charge.

Fili approached the door, and tentatively reached out for the handle. He glanced at Kili, who nodded. There was another crash just as the brothers entered the room.

At first, all Fili could see where the upturned dishes and mugs on the floor. He felt something press against his back- Kili was standing behind him, facing out, wielding his sword like there was no tomorrow. He had his brother's back.

Fili scanned the room, nervously taking in every detail. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He spun around, Kili following suit.

"What did you see?"

"I... I thought I saw something move."

"Is there anyone here?"

"If there is... they're hiding..." Fili whispered. The room was dark, the sky not providing any natural lighting. This meant that shadows had been draped over the kitchen, providing hiding places that a dwarf could easily fit into.

It was only logical the intruder would want to conceal themselves. They mightn't know that the people looking for them were only children. Another crash sounded from the shadows. This time, a plate had shattered.

"What are they doing, Fee?" Kili whispered.

"I have no idea."

"Can I hit them?" Fili looked down at his brother.

"What?"

"Can I hit them?" Kili asked again, in the same quiet tone.

"Why?"

"I want to hit them."

Fili thought for a second. "Be... my guest, I guess..."

Kili crept forward, stick at the ready. According to his memory of the kitchen, he was approaching the cupboard full of Dis's best china. What a sick fiend, to hide near the most valuable things in the kitchen so that if Kili missed, he would surely break something. Kili shook his head in disgust. He needed to bring this culprit to justice.

He took his first blow at the cupboard, his stick connecting with the furniture and knocking plates off the shelf. Fili winced.

Kili took another shot, this time hitting the tea cups directly. They shattered upon impact. _At least the falling pieces may hurt the thief, _thought Kili as he continued to beat the place where the thief was hiding.

Fili had lowered his stick, and was watching his brother with a mixture of horror and fascination. He was breaking all of Dis's good china! But... at least he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

"Kili, STOP!" Dis screamed as she ran into the room, carrying her lantern. Kili spun around, his stick lifted above his head as he prepared to strike again. "WHAT, IN DURIN'S NAME, DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Dis howled.

"Catching the thief!" He exclaimed whilst Fili stood there dumbstruck.

"What... THIEF?" Dis yelled. "WHY WOULD THERE BE A THIEF IN MY CHINA?"

"But... we heard..." Kili looked at Dis, then at the shattered ceramics, then at Fili. Almost as if on cue, a small squirrel struggled out of the wreckage, chittering angrily to itself. It scampered off, out of the open door that Dis was standing at.

Dis glared at her sons, obviously trying to contain her fury and keep a reasonable tone.

"Is that thief, by any chance, a _squirrel_?"

"Maybe..." Kili muttered, and looked at his feet.

"Sit down. Now." Dis growled, and Kili took his place at the table.

"It wasn't just him- I was the one who-"

"I am talking," Dis said under her breath, "to both of you."

"Do you know how it feels to be welcomed home to the sound of your child breaking your family heirlooms?" Dis yelled shrilly. "I simply cannot _believe _either of you! You think there is someone in the house and you don't bother lighting a candle, perhaps, and taking a look at what you are demolishing?"

Both of the boys drooped their heads in shame.

"We're sorry, mum."

"As you should be! There is no way I am going to be able to replace that china- any of it! Not only is it too expensive, but no amount of money can replace the ancestral value it had! What do you boys have to say to that?" She demanded.

"We're really sorry, mum- we didn't mean to do this much damage."

"Did you not _hear _the plates breaking?" She asked. "Did you not think to stop once you had broken anything?"

Kili looked at his feet, tears welling in his eyes. Fili knew that Dis would blame most of this on his brother.

"It wasn't all his fault." Fili interjected.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Dis snapped.

"Because I trusted his judgement."

"Well you were wrong, weren't you! Why would you think it's a good idea to let an eight year old take on a thief alone?"

"Kili's a really skilled fighter, mum! We were playing before, and he disarmed me when I was actually trying at the best of my ability!" Fili said defensively. Dis looked at Kili, who looked up at her meekly.

"You... you were fighting?"

"Sword fighting. Well- stick fighting." Fili held up his weapon for Dis to see. Dis shook her head softly.

"Go to your room."

"What? But-"

"The two of you." Dis warned. "Go."

Kili didn't mean to eavesdrop. He was just waiting at the door to the kitchen for a chance to speak to Dis, but he didn't want to interrupt her conversation.

"Thorin- they were _sword fighting!"_

"With actual swords?" Thorin responded.

"No, of course not! But that's not the point. They were sword fighting, and Fili says Kili's good at it."

"That's excellent!"

"No, it's not. Where do you think Kili would have learned his moves from?"

"You? You were quite the swordswoman when you were younger."

"I haven't fought in years, Thorin. They got it from _you. _And I think the confidence the fighting gave them led them to try and take on the thief."

"So?"

"So... I don't want my boys to be in contact with the kind of violence that leads them to overconfidence. What if that had been an intruder? They may be good, but sticks wouldn't have helped them much. Oh, Thorin..." Dis's voice was wavering with tears. "I don't want them to get hurt. I don't mind if Kili learns archery, but... I don't want them taken away from me."

"Dis, every good dwarf must learn to fight-"

"Can't we wait a little longer? Can't we refrain from showing them violence until they're ready to fend for themselves?"

"They _are _ready. Once a dwarf gets their confidence, they are ready to fight. Now- I'm not suggesting we recruit them for the army, I just think it wouldn't hurt to teach them how to use a sword." Thorin's voice then dropped so he could say something quietly to Dis that Kili had to struggle to hear. "And I promise you that I will _never _let harm come to your boys, whether it means teaching them how to use a sword or shielding them with my body- okay?"

Kili didn't wait to hear Dis's answer. He ran back to his room, tears in his eyes.

Thorin was willing to die for them.

"How did your little talk with mum go?" Fili asked.

"I... I didn't talk to mum."

"What's wrong?" Fili walked towards Kili and embraced him, having just noticed the tears.

"You know how when we play 'Take Back Erebor', I always want to be Thorin?"

"Yeah?"

"That's not just because I hate Smaug." Kili let go of Fili, and waddled over to his bed. "When I grow up, I want to be a good king, or prince at least, and I will love my children just as much as Thorin loves us. When I grow up, I want to be just like Uncle Thorin."


	31. The Unexpected Fear

Thorin couldn't help but feel the weight on his shoulders. It was true that he would die to save his nephews- it had always been true- but now that he had said that to Dis he was almost becoming paranoid that it wouldn't be enough.

There was little Thorin Oakenshield was afraid of, yet the thought of losing his nephews and not being able to save them scared him beyond belief. All the troops of Mordor combined did not daunt him as much as that- not even Azog the Defiler made him as terrified as that thought. Heck- nothing did.

_Well, _a small voice in Thorin's head reminded him, _there may be something that scares you more. _

Thorin pushed the voice away. His petty fear wasn't anything compared to his fear of losing the boys. He wasn't even sure the minuscule phobia he used to have still existed.

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"Kili... why is your shirt moving?" Fili asked.

Kili looked over his shoulder at the wet, mud-streaked pile of clothes on the floor. His shirt was indeed moving.

Well- that was odd.

"I don't know why it's moving." Kili commented as he continued to rummage through the chest that contained his clothes. They had just returned from an expedition that had left Kili soaked with water and mud. As soon as they had returned home, Kili had stripped down to naught but his undershorts and left his dirty clothes on the floor as he tried to find some clean ones.

"... Do you think we should check it out?" Fili asked with a raised eyebrow as Kili ignored the suspicious movement.

"Um... it's your choice." Kili said with a shrug.

Fili rolled his eyes, and got off his bed. "Well, if you won't do anything, I will- did your shirt just _jump_?"

Kili turned around. "It looks as if it did."

"Are you not _concerned _in any way?"

"Not overly."

Fili muttered something under his breath, and crept closer to the moving pile of clothes. He picked up the muddy shirt and threw it to the other side of the room to reveal a frog sitting there, looking up at Fili.

"Um... well, there's a frog under your shirt."

"Sure there is, Fee." Kili said nonchalantly as he picked up a woolly shirt from the chest.

Fili smirked, and picked up the frog. He walked over to Kili and put it on his shoulder.

Kili froze, his fingers clenching the wool shirt tightly. "What is that, Fee?"

"I told you there was a frog!" Fili laughed.

Kili slowly turned his head to look at the small creature on his shoulder. Fili wished he could have frozen time at the exact moment that Kili saw the frog, because the look on his face was priceless.

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Thorin was washing the dishes when he heard the scream. Dis had asked him to look after the boys whilst she went to the markets. So far, nothing bad had happened- well, that was before Kili's scream pierced the air.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Thorin put down the mug he was washing. What had the boys done now?

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"It's not funny, Fee! It's really, really not funny!"

Thorin heard Fili laugh. "Actually, Kee, it's absolutely hilarious!"

Kili screamed again. "Get if OFF, Fee!"

"Ok, come here."

Kili yelped. "Fili, it's on my bed. GET IT OFF MY BED! IT'S MOVING AGAIN!"

Thorin shook his head and smiled. What had those troublemakers done?

"Is everything ok in there?" Thorin said through the door.

"Everything's fine!" Yelled Fili.

"SAVE ME, UNCLE! SAVE ME FROM THE HORRIBLE CREATURE!" Kili screamed at the top of his lungs.

Thorin chuckled, and opened the door.

Kili was curled up in fetal position on top of his bed, in only his undershorts. He was wielding a shirt as a shield against something on the other side of the bed that Thorin couldn't see. Fili was standing in the corner, clutching his stomach from laughter. He was obviously enjoying his brother's terror.

"What's all this about?"

"FILI TRIED TO KILL ME!" Kili screamed.

"Did not!" Fili laughed.

"What's going on?" Thorin asked with a smile as he walked over to comfort his nephew.

"We were playing down at the stream, and Kili accidentally brought home a little friend!"

"A little friend, hey?" Thorin knelt down next to the bed to check what it was.

Thorin froze. Was that... a frog?

"Uncle? Is everything alright?" Fili asked.

"Everything's... fine..." Thorin whispered. Kili leaned over the edge of the bed.

"See? It's horrible!" Kili cried.

Thorin had thought that his childhood fear had left him. He had thought that he was no longer scared stiff around frogs.

Never had he been so wrong.

Apparently, he had also passed his fear of frogs down to his nephew.

"Uncle... do something..." Kili slowly climbed onto his uncle's shoulders, his tiny little hands digging into Thorin's back.

"I... I'll see what I can do..." He murmured. The truth was- he didn't know what to do. _By my beard, _Thorin thought, _it's just like when I was a young lad. _

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_He could still hear the chanting. _

_"Thorin Durin! Prince under the Mountain! Afraid of frogs!" _

_It wasn't his fault that he was afraid. Narmin had thrown the foul creature right at his face, screaming something that Thorin couldn't understand. The frog had hit him in the face, the slime sticking to him. Thorin had stood, petrified, as the frog clambered onto his head. _

_Thorin was never one to like surprises. He didn't like it when things were thrown at his face, and he had a tendency to squeal a little if they were. _

_But why here? Why in front of this many people? He looked like a fool now. He, the dwarven prince, had screamed when Narmin threw a frog at his face._

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"Perhaps, Uncle, we can pick the frog up and return it to the stream?" Fili suggested. Kili positioned himself on Thorin's back so he was shielded from the frog. The frog slowly blinked it's bulging eyes.

"That- that would be a good idea."

"Do... do you want to pick it up?" Fili asked.

"Surely there's another way..." Thorin stood up, with Kili still clinging to him in terror.

_Why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he bring himself to pick up this small frog? _Thorin didn't get it- he wasn't afraid anymore. He wasn't scared anymore. Why couldn't he just pick up the silly frog?

Thorin closed his eyes. _How did he handle it when he was younger?_

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_"Get it off, get it off!" _

_"Aww- poor baby Thorin can't handle a little frog!" Narmin taunted. Thorin glared at him, but he was still afraid. Afraid of touching the slimy being on top of his head. _

_"What are you boys doing?" A voice sounded. All the boys at the creek froze._

_Thráin, son of Thror, stood on the ridge, looking down at the circle of boys with his son in the middle. _

_"Sorry, Mr Durin sir! We were just looking at the wildlife, and Thorin got carried away!"_

_"Did he now?" Thráin asked, and stormed down to the dwarflings. With his dark grey mane and tattoos, he cut a striking figures amongst the children. _

_"Come here, Thorin." Thráin picked the frog off of his son's head. Thorin couldn't help but feel relieved when the weight of it had gone. "You ok there, son?"_

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Thorin couldn't help but feel the weight on his shoulders. It was true that he would do anything to protect his nephews- it had always been true- but now that he was actually in a situation where at least on of his nephews was feeling threatened, he was almost becoming paranoid that he wouldn't be able to do anything.

There was little Thorin Oakenshield was afraid of, yet the thought of failing his nephews and not being able to save them scared him beyond belief. All the frogs of Middle Earth combined did not daunt him as much as that- not even the frog Narmin had thrown that day made him as terrified as that thought. Heck- nothing did.

Fili and Kili didn't have a father to help them right now. But they had Thorin.

With shaking hands, Thorin reached out and picked up the frog. It's sticky feet tickled his hands, but he refused to give up. Kili needed him. He slowly made his way to the door, Kili still clinging to his back and Fili following them slowly. The trio gradually made their way down to the stream.

Thorin placed the frog in the water, and it jumped away. Thorin exhaled as the amphibian swam away.

"Are you okay, Uncle?" Fili asked. He had known something was amiss, and it didn't take him long to figure out that Thorin was afraid.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Kili hopped off of Thorin, and hugged his knees. "Thanks, Uncle. You saved me."

"Don't be silly, Kee. It was just a frog!"

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Thorin had done many heroic things in his lifetime, but none of them, _none of them, _had made him feel as good as this.

In fact, Thorin thought that all three of them were feeling pretty good.

That is, until they walked into the house.

"It's about time." Dis grumbled. She was sitting on a chair next to the door, with her arms folded.

"Guess what we did, mum?" Kili asked happily.

"I don't know. But pray tell, why are you in you in your undershorts?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Is everything ok, Dis?" Thorin asked.

"You tell me. Why is there mud streaked across the floor in your room, boys?"

"There was a frog." Fili said.

A look of realization briefly crossed Dis' face. She looked at Thorin, who motioned to Kili with his eyes.

"Right."

"But Uncle Thorin saved us!" Kili yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Did you?" Dis smiled faintly.

"Of course I did. It's my duty to my nephews to save them."

"Well, why don't you help _save them _from having to clean the whole room and help them? I'm _not _going to put up with mud all over the house."

Fili and Kili looked at their feet.

"Sorry, mum."

"Yes," Dis nodded, "you will be."

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**Hey guys! tPHfME here. **

**Thank you so much for reading yet ****_another _****chapter- it really means a lot to think that there are actually people who (dare I say it) look forward to reading what I write. **

**As always, please review if you have anything to say- I appreciate all feedback!**

**Have a great holiday!**

**-The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	32. The Singing Competition

"Come on- we're going to be late!" Fili said enthusiastically as he towed his sleepy brother out of the door.

"Late for what?"

"You'll see!"

"Why won't you just tell me where we're going?" Kili groaned.

"It's a surprise!" Fili yelled happily.

The truth was, Fili didn't want to tell Kili because he didn't want to intimidate him. He also wasn't entirely sure that Kili would _appreciate _the surprise, so he didn't want to tell him within Dis' earshot (Kili could kick up a _real _fuss when he needed to).

"I don't want a surprise. I want sleep."

"This'll be worth it. Trust me!"

"Hmmmm... okay." Kili pursed his lips a little, but let his brother pull him along.

Together, they headed towards the town hall, where there was already a crowd gathering.

"Fee... what's this?" Kili looked nervous, and Fili didn't blame him. The masses that had assembled comprised mostly of men rather than dwarves, and Kili had never really felt at ease around men.

"Wait- before we go in-" Fili stopped his brother from entering the hall. "Remember when we hospitalised Rasgar? And you sang him a song?"

"Um... yeah?"

"You were actually good."

"Well, that's nice, but I'd still rather be asleep."

"Kili- wait- I want you to sing."

"You _what_?"

"Please. Sing. I brought you here because it's a singing competition for the men and women of the village, and I thought you'd do well."

"No."

"What?"

"No. I'm not going to sing."

"Kee- you can't do that."

"Yes I can, actually. I think that _you _are in the wrong here. You can't force me to sing for a crowd."

"But... Kee... you'd do really well..."

"Why should I care though?" Kili raised his eyebrow.

"First prize is... never mind."

"What is it?"

"It's a jewellery box. I thought it'd be nice to get for mum."

"Okay."

"What?"

"I'll do it." Kili nodded.

"Wait- you will?"

"Yes, I will. How many times do I have to explain it?"

"Sorry."

"Wait."

"What's wrong?"  
>"What am I going to sing?" Panic began to rise in Kili's voice.<p>

"Don't you know any songs?"

"Um... I do know one, but..."

"Perfect! Let's go!" Fili beamed and tugged his little brother into the hall to get two of the remaining seats.

"But... but..." Kili protested, to no avail. Everyone had settled down, and the competition had begun.

"Can we get all contestants to line up down the side of the hall, please." Kili stood up shakily, looking at Fili with pleading eyes.

"Wait- Fee-"

"Go! Good luck!" Fili watched Kili reluctantly make his way to the end of the line. Fili could barely see his brother amongst the shadows and curtains- he couldn't tell if there was anyone behind Kili or not.

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As the competition wore on, Fili was beginning to worry a little. In truth, he hadn't thought there would be this many contestants. He hoped it didn't go on too long- he had told Dis that the two of them were going to town for an errand for Thorin, but he knew that if they were too long, she'd become suspicious.

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Kili was nervous too. He had never really sung for anyone. He doubted that Fili had heard him sing apart from the time at the hospital. He was only singing now because Fili wanted him to in order to do something nice for Dis. He was doing this out of common decency rather than talent.

He was by far the smallest queued up. The men and women around him were all fully grown humans, and he was a dwarf child. He felt absolutely tiny compared to them- and he hated it.

Durins were not small. Durins were the fiercest warriors, the most loyal friends, the best leaders. They may have been dwarves, but what they lacked in height they made up for in passion. Yet somehow, Kili felt inadequate compared to everyone else- no amount of fierceness, loyalty, or good leadership would help him here. This was about singing- something Kili wasn't sure he was good at.

The man who was currently singing had a deep, soulful voice, and was singing a loud song that sounded very dramatic. Kili didn't like it. There was a band playing, because they seemed to know the song. Kili was almost certain that they wouldn't know the song he was going to sing.

He wished there was another song- he really did- but this was the only song he knew other than nursery rhymes.

Fili said he could do it- he only hoped Fili was right.

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Fili fidgeted anxiously. The woman singing now was the last before Kili. She had a high, very technically skilled voice that trilled and leapt like a leaf spinning in the wind. Fili almost found himself wincing- even dwarf children didn't voices as high as that, let alone dwarven women. The band finished playing, and she held on to a spectacularly high note that threatened to crack the glass. The audience applauded politely, but Fili was too nervous to.

Wait- what was he thinking? He shouldn't be nervous- Kili should. Fili shook his head, ignoring his empathetic urges.

He had to remain strong for Kili.

"Good luck," he whispered.

"And next up, we have- oh. Are you... are you competing?" The panel all seemed very confused at seeing such a small person wanting to sing.

"Yes."

"Ok then. Name?"

"Kili Durin."

A few whispers shook the crowd. The name 'Durin' was associated with the resident dwarf king, and Fili could sense the unease it caused. He almost felt like standing on his seat and commanding silence- it was painful seeing his little brother there on a stage in front of a crowd with them all whispering about him.

"Ok then, Keelee*, whenever you're ready." The judge said, mispronouncing Kili's name.

xx

Kili shook his head clear, trying to block out the heedless whispering, and cleared his throat. The band had showed no interest in playing for him, but Kili ignored that too.

"Tap the mugs

Pass the drinks around

Clink together

And scull them down,"

xx

Fili felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as some giggles erupted from the audience.

_Why was the only song Kili knew a drinking song?_

xx

"Load up the trays

Careful not to spill

If you don't finish yours

The rest of us will,"

Kili shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the peals of laughter coming from the audience. He wanted to leave. He wanted to cry. He wanted to bury his head under a pillow and block out the world.

"As you dance 'round

Mind the forks and knives

Don't let your drunk selves

Be seen by your wives,"

He didn't know why he was still singing. No one was taking him seriously- he was a dwarf child singing about drinking.

That was it. He was actually crying now. Despite the fact that he had his eyes shut tight, tears managed to roll down his face. He wanted to hug his mum and never let go, and get off the stage and make everyone forget.

He wanted it all to stop.

xx

Kili had been doing alright before he started crying. Fili wanted to run up and comfort him, but he didn't want Kili to break down entirely.

_Stay strong, Kee._

His soft little voice was wavering, and the melody faltering. The judges had put away their scoresheets- they weren't even bothering obviously saw Kili's act as a joke. Anger rushed through Fili- how dare they treat his brother like that?

He stood up to protest, but stopped. Kili ran off the stage, and straight out the door, the audience still chuckling.

Fili ran after him, and caught him quickly.

"What's wrong, Kee?"

"I... I... I messed up... I'm sorry..." Kili snuffled.

"No, Kee, _I _messed up. I shouldn't have made you go through that."

"I... I chose... to. It... it... it's my f-f-fault." He said, wiping away tears. "I'm a terrible singer. I shouldn't have bothered."

"You're not a terrible singer. You're really good. You're just a little shy."

Kili glared at his brother. "I am not shy. I was just embarrassed, is all."  
>"Ok. Well, they haven't announced the winner yet, so we should-"<p>

"I'm not going back in there." Kili protested.

"Come on, Kee, I-" Fili froze.

"What's wrong?"

"Listen."

Together, the boys stood in silence, listening to the singing coming from the hall. It was low, and grumbling, almost, yet still musical.

They exchanged looks.

"I didn't know there was another person left."

"Neither did I."

"That voice... sounds familiar."

They walked towards the door of the hall and went inside. Before they even saw the singer, they knew who it was.

"The pines were roaring on the height,

The winds were moaning in the night,

The fire was red,

It flaming spread,

The trees like torches, blazed with light,"

"Is that..."

"Uncle Thorin?"

It had to be. That was the song that he sung to them after Erebor was lost.

And sure enough, there was their Uncle, proud as ever, standing upon the stage and singing.

There was no laughter this time- only respect. Thorin was commanding the audience without the band playing for him.

With only his voice, he had captivated the room and told them the tale of Erebor.

The song was drawing to a close.

"Far over the misty mountains grim

To dungeons deep and caverns dim

We must away, ere break of day,

To win our harps and gold from him!"

Thorin's eye's scoured the audience, letting the message sink in.

"Well... that's everyone..." the judge announced as Thorin left the stage. No one clapped- they were all dumbstruck.

"We have come to a conclusion." The judge continued. "We will give the prize to Thorin Oakenshield."

There was no applause, yet no protest either. No one knew what to say. Thorin gruffly accepted the prize, and left the hall.

Fili couldn't tell if Thorin had won because the people were afraid, apologetic or amazed.

Kili ran past Fili to exit the hall again, trying to catch up with Thorin.

"Uncle! Uncle!"  
>"There's my little drunkard! Pray- why choose that song?" Thorin asked with a laugh, abandoning his serious tone for a more playful one.<p>

"That was the only one I knew!" giggled Kili, finally seeing the comical aspect of the situation.

"I bet your mother will be pleased to hear about this." Thorin commented.

The smiles drained from the boys' faces.

"Just as I suspected- she doesn't know about this, does she?"

They shook their heads.

"Right. What cover story did you use?"

The boys remained silent.

"I won't get mad- I just want to know so I'll be able to go along with it!"

"Why?" Fili asked, not believing his ears.

"If Dis finds out I let you sing drinking songs in public without stopping you, she'll kill me too. So- what excuse did you use?"

"I told her we were running errands for you."

"Perfect!"

"Uncle Thorin?" Kili asked.

"Yes, Kee?" Thorin said as they began to walk home.

"Why were you singing? I mean- you were very good, but why do you want a jewellery box?"

"The same reason as you two, I suspect."

"To give to mum?"

"Exactly."

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Fili and Kili were settling into bed when Bofur arrived. They had gotten away free, Thorin explaining to Dis how they had gone into town and bought her the jewellery box.

All was well, and Kili had just about recovered from the embarrassment- it took more than a laughing crowd to fully dampen his spirits.

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Dis, Thorin and Bofur were talking in the kitchen as Fili and Kili snuggled into bed.

"I'm telling you Dis, that young Kili has got a right sense of humour."

"What are you talking about?" Dis asked. Thorin's eyes widened, and he began gesturing for Bofur to stop talking- to no avail. Once Bofur had a good story, there was no stopping him.

"Did you not hear of the lad's performance? Singing a drinking song at the town singing competition, he was."

"He was WHAT?" Dis yelled, putting down the plate she was holding. She turned to Thorin. "You said-"

"Oh, and congrats, Thorin! You're singing really was lovely." Bofur grinned. Dis glared at Thorin.

"I think I hear one of the boys calling for me-" Thorin said by means of excusing himself, and stood up.

Dis blocked his exit. "Care to explain, Thorin Oakenshield?"

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***I would imagine it's usually pronounced Keeli, or just Kili.**


	33. The Artist

When Fili entered the room, the only noise he could hear was a soft scratching. He paused for a second to work out what it was- but his temporary concentration on the noise meant that he didn't see the pillow as it came hurtling towards his head.

"Ouch!" The force of the pillow had knocked him backwards a little.

Kili's head popped up from behind his bed. "Oh- sorry Fee."

"What was that for?" Fili picked up the pillow and threw it back, hitting Kili directly in the face.

"Close the door!" Kili hissed as he tossed the pillow aside.

"What's going on?" Fili gently nudged the door shut.

"I'm drawing a picture for Thorin, and I don't want him to see it yet. I thought you were Thorin."

"So you decided to throw a pillow at me? How do you think Uncle Thorin would like to be hit with a pillow?" Fili laughed.

"I'm working on my defense." Kili scowled to conceal his smile. "Do you want to see my picture so far?"

"Sure." Fili walked over and sat next to his brother.

"Guess who this is?" Kili pointed at a figure he had drawn.

"The Goblin King?" Fili raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to get a better view.

Kili punched his brother in the arm. "That's mum!"

"Oh..." Fili cringed. "But why is she standing next to an orc?" That comment earned him a kick from his brother.

"FILI! That's so rude! It's you!" Kili cried and snatched the picture away from Fili.

"What's rude is that you think I look like an orc." Fili laughed and craned his neck to keep looking at the drawing. "And I'm guessing the small demon-like thing is you?"

Kili elbowed him in the stomach. "Stop being so mean! It's not fair!"  
>"It's not unfair. It's honest. You can't draw to save your life, Kee."<br>"I can too!" Kili stood up and yelled at Fili.

"No. No you can't." Fili shrugged. He got hit on the head. "Will you stop hurting me? It won't prove anything."

Kili began stammering in frustration, trying to think of something to say to combat Fili's insults. "It's not as if you're a good artist either."

"I'm better than you."

"Ha! Don't make me laugh."

"Ok then. I'll prove it." Fili picked up a loose leaf of paper and the small stick of coal that Kili had been drawing with. Dis didn't trust them with ink, so they had to make do with sharpened chunks of coal that produced rough black lines.

Fili quickly began sketching his brother, because Kili was the first thing he could think of. He began with a circle for the head, which, he noted, was lopsided, but he pretended that the lack of symmetry was intentional- he needed to fake an air of confidence if he wanted to be better than Kili.

However, soon it became evident to him that his drawing skills were no better than his brothers'- Kili was beginning to look more like a misshapen rock than anything else. The real Kili looked over his shoulder.

"What on earth is that meant to be."

"Guess."

"A tree?"

"No!" Fili smiled. Kili looked at him, an uncertain smile blooming on his face.

"A pig?"

"It's you, Kee!"

Kili snatched the paper up and held it in front of him for a better view, turning it around the look at the sketch from all angles.

"This is not me."

"It's meant to be you!"

"And you say I can't draw!" Kili laughed. "I'd sooner believe that a baby had scribbled on this piece of paper than that you had drawn this!"

"Shut up!" Fili said, and playfully punched his little brother. "Okay, so we both need a little help with drawing."

"Let's learn to draw!" Kili announced.  
>"But how?"<p>

Kili smiled knowingly. "I think I know someone who'd _love _to help us."

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"Are you sure we should be here?" Fili said as they climbed over the small fence.

"Don't worry- I do this all the time."

"Wait- what? When?"

Kili froze. "I think I've said too much."

Fili shook his head. There were times when it was best not to question Kili- and this was one of them.

"So... why exactly are we here?"

"Let's just say there's someone in these woods who knows the art of drawing. He keeps himself separated from everyone in order to focus on his art."

"... How did you learn about this person?"  
>"I get around, Fee. I know many people."<p>

"Are you quite alright?" Fili said with concern as they continued into the forest. "You're sounding rather weird."

Kili giggled. "Oh, how I love messing with you."

Fili glanced at his brother and smiled softly. There was no one quite like Kili.

"We're here!" Kili gestured at the large rock formation in front of them. There was a small hole at the base where a dwarfling could easily crawl through.  
>"Where exactly are we?" Fili asked.<p>

"The artist dwells inside."

Dwells? Since when had Kili used the word 'dwells'? Fili shot Kili a questioning glance, and Kili beamed back.

"So... how do we get inside?"

"We crawl through the hole. How else do you think?"

"I was just checking! Calm down." Fili motioned for Kili to go into the rock first, and once his little brother had disappeared and he knew it wasn't a trick, Fili followed suit.

The cave was dimly lit by a small candle. There was probably enough room for two adult dwarves, so it wasn't too uncomfortable for the brothers. There was indeed a huddled figure in the corner, hunched over a book, holding a quill in one hand. The figure was small- very small- but seemed so powerful and at peace that Fili was almost afraid to disturb it.

"Hello!" Kili said, rather loudly. The figure looked up. Fili instantly recognised the straight ginger hair and sparkling brown eyes.

"Ori?"

"Hi guys! I didn't see you there." Ori hastily shut his book and waddled around the candle to greet them. The three dwarflings fit rather comfortably inside the small cave, but it certainly got a little awkward when Ori began hugging the brothers by way of greeting.

"What brings you two fellows here?" Ori asked. Ori was usually shy and reserved, especially in the presence of those older than him (like Fili and Kili), but he was in his element in his tiny hiding cave.

"We want to learn to draw!" Kili announced.

"You... want to learn from... me?" Ori said slowly, excitement dawning in his eyes. Fili nodded. Ori jumped a little and started clapping his hands. "This is going to be so fun!"

Kili seemed to share Ori's enthusiasm whole-heartedly. He was tugging on Fili's sleeve, as if to get his brother's attention, but he didn't stop when Fili looked at him. He and Ori both had ridiculous grins on their faces, and Fili couldn't help but smile too.

"This is so exciting! I've learnt so much from you two, and now I get to help you! Hooray!" Ori rushed to his book and tore out two pages, then paused. "I only have one quill..."

"That's ok- we brought these." Fili said, and held up the charcoal sticks as he sat down. Ori looked at him with joy written all over his face.

"I'm really excited. Thank you so much for coming."

"No problem. Thanks for helping us!" Fili smiled. He almost felt a big brother instinct for Ori- but not like the way he felt it for Kili. He felt like he needed to steer Kili in the right directions, to make sure he was doing okay, to fend off people who threatened Kili. But towards Ori, he felt the need to take his hand and walk with him, step by step, slowly watching him blossom. It was almost as if Kili was a wild horse that wouldn't stop running, and it was just up to Fili to direct him, whereas Ori was a tentative little foal who needed help with his first steps.

But Ori had a perfectly suitable big brother to look after him- Dori was possibly the best caretaker there was. Everybody knew it. Fili could distinctly remember the time when Dori had been allocated to babysit them, and had fussed incessantly over them. Fili looked back at Ori, who was handing him a piece of paper. Despite his excitement and confidence at the circumstances, there was still uncertainty hidden behind Ori's gaze.

"Thanks," Fili said as he took the paper.

"Right." Ori positioned himself in front of the brothers. "I'd like to see how you draw now. Draw me."

Both Fili and Kili began drawing, and Ori looked carefully at their work whist trying to remain as still as possible so that they could draw him.

Kili looked worriedly down at his drawing. It looked nothing like Ori. He glanced at Fili's, and breathed a sigh of relief. At least his was the better of the two.

"Okay! Time's up!" Ori carefully picked up the drawings and examined them in the candle light. "Erm..."

"What's wrong?"

"I see you like a more... semi-realistic style, Kili." He said, and turned the drawing around to face them. "See how my head's bigger than my shoulders? That's not how it is in real life, but that doesn't matter. And Fili- I think you like a more rough, sketchy style. You needn't go over the lines so many times."

"Is that it?" Kili asked indignantly. He obviously felt like Fili's work deserved more criticism.

Ori looked rather uncomfortable. "I think they both could use some work, but that's okay. We all have to start somewhere!"

The brothers took their drawings back.

"Let's start with faces, shall we?"

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The next hour or so passed in a blur of sketches, candlelight and annoyance. The ever-patient Ori kept trying to diplomatically explain the flaws in their work, but Kili was getting fed up with it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't draw. Fili reassured him that he was improving, but Kili couldn't see it. The only thing he had to compare his work to was Fili's, and he hated to admit that Fili was getting better quite quickly.

"It's not fair! This looks nothing like mum!" Kili said, looking at the picture gloomily.

"It does, you may just need to soften the edges a little." Ori said quietly. Even though Ori was only a few months younger than Kili, he still regarded Kili in the highest respect Fili had ever seen.

"What does that mean?" Kili asked, and scrambled over to where Ori's book was. "I want to see how _you _draw."

"No!" Ori yelped, but it was too late. Kili had opened the book, and was flicking through the pictures with awe all over his face.

"These are incredible!" Kili saw pictures of birds, and flowers, and trees. He saw pictures of Thorin, and Dori, and Nori- all scarily accurate. Kili even saw pictures of himself and Fili. Actually, as he continued looking through the pictures, there were quite a lot of him and Fili. Pictures of Fili carrying him on his shoulders, pictures of him splashing Fili with water down by the creek, and lots of drawings with Ori in them too. Kili looked at Ori with a mix of confusion, fascination and awe. Ori looked back pleadingly, almost begging not to be judged. Kili knew he was being invasive, and that he shouldn't be looking at these pictures, but he was intrigued. He turned the page once more, and wasn't prepared for what he saw.

This picture didn't have either him or Fili in it. It was a picture of Dori, a very tall Dori looming over a rather small Ori. Dori had a demonic look in his eyes and was pushing Ori down with one hand and pushing someone else away with the other- someone who Kili identified as Nori. Kili froze. He shut the book quickly, and pushed it away. He didn't want to have seen that picture. He felt awful for looking through Ori's drawings.

"I'm really sorry for looking."

"That's okay." Ori shyly walked over and gave Kili another hug. Whenever Ori spent time with Kili, it usually involved a lot of hugging, but this was the first time that Kili had not only wanted a hug, but realised why Ori kept hugging him.

"Are you alright, Ori?"

"I'm fine."

"Ori..." Fili said slowly, and as Ori turned around he saw Fili staring at the picture he had drawn with mild worry. "What does this picture mean?"

"I... I was just kind of sad... it's no big deal..." Ori ran over and took the book off Fili, hugging it to his chest. Fili felt a pang of big brother instinct.

"It _is _a big deal. What's the matter?"

"Nothing- really, I'm fine."

Fili crossed his legs, and patted his knee for Ori to sit on it. Whenever Kili was feeling sad, Fili always let him sit on his knee and talk to him. Ori slowly sat down.

"Come on, Ori- tell me what's wrong."

Ori looked at Fili again, but this time, his eyes were brimming with tears. "I just want a brother like you!"

And with that, Ori burst into a fit of sobs.

Fili was almost frozen still as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"What?"

"I want a brother... like... like you..." Ori said through tears. "And Kili. I want you two to be my... my... brothers..."

Fili looked over at Kili for support, but to his surprise, Kili had picked up Ori's quill and a leaf of paper, and was drawing intently in the corner.

"My brothers... they aren't as nice as you..."

"But Dori's nice!"

"Dori... Dori doesn't ever want to play... with me... he fusses over me... but never listens... to what _I _want to do... and I never see Nori any... any more... because Dori says he's a... a bad influence on... on me..." Ori cried. Fili leant in and hugged him tightly.

"That's why I come here... all the time... Dori can't fo...llow me..."

"Have you ever told Dori this?" Fili asked quietly.

"I can't- he never listens to me anyways." Ori began wiping his tears away.

"I bet he would if he knew it'd make you happier."

Ori looked up at Fili, looking more vulnerable than ever. "You think so?"

Fili nodded, and smiled softly. Ori smiled back.

"But enough about me..." he stood up, pushing the attention away as far as he could- like he always did. "You've done really well, Fili, you're drawing is very good now. Kili's is almost as good..." Ori spun around to face Kili.

"I tried softening the edges..." Kili shyly handed Ori the drawing he had been doing. Ori clapped his hand to his mouth. Fili looked over Ori's shoulder. The drawing he was holding was actually really good. It depicted Ori sitting on Fili's knee, the two of them hugging.

"There's only one thing wrong with this." Ori announced. Kili's face fell a little.

"What is it?"

"You're not in here!" Ori smiled, and set the paper down. He took the quill and quickly sketched Kili sitting on Fili's other knee, joined in their embrace. Kili looked at Ori happily.

Ori looked back at him with the same smile on his face.

Fili had never felt more happy as a brother than now.

"Ori- do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

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**Hey guys!**

**Before anyone makes any comments regarding Ori's age, yes- I know that he's not really the youngest (as he was portrayed to be in the film). I'm not actually certain of Ori's actual age, but I do know that in the book, Fili and Kili were the youngest by about 50 years. **

**I have come to the conclusion that this fic is full of inaccuracies. Fili and Kili were born well after Erebor was lost, so they could never have visited it as children. Dwarves age much slower than us, so Fili and Kili being 8 & 13 in human years would not have the same mental abilities of 8 & 13 year old human children. By the time I got to this, I decided to completely disregard certain facts in order to continue this story. **

**So yes- Ori is not the age I wrote about in this fic according to the book, however the movie portrays him as a bit younger than Fili and Kili. I decided to make him younger because little Ori would be rather adorable. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this read- I think Ori will be starring in a few more chapters. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	34. The Dinner Guest

"Why- is that young Master Ori?" Dis asked with a smile when the three boys walked in.

"Hello, Lady Dis, how are you?" Ori bowed slightly.

"I'm great, Ori, but you don't have to call me _Lady _Dis. Just call me Dis."

Ori nodded politely.

"And how are _you, _Ori?"

"I'm absolutely wonderful, thank you!" Ori beamed. Kili looked up at his brother, who was smiling proudly.

"And... are you staying for dinner?" Dis looked at Fili for an answer. Fili nodded.

"Well why don't you all go to Fili and Kili's room and get cleaned up- I'll start cooking!" Dis said excitedly, and busied herself in the kitchen.

"Come on Ori! You get to see our room!" Kili grabbed Ori's hand and rushed them to his room, obviously startling Ori.

"You've got a very nice room," noted Ori.

"Thank you." Fili said, but Kili was too busy digging through the cupboard to be thankful. At last, he held up a dagger.

"Look, Ori! Uncle gave me a real dagger!"

"Wow!" Ori sounded fascinated, but FIli noticed the way he flinched and drew back slightly when he saw the blade.

"Ooh!" Kili began digging through the cupboard again, and found his next weapon. "I also have a bow!"

Kili pulled back the bow as if to shoot, but without an arrow. Ori clapped enthusiastically.

"Very impressive!"

Kili smiled, and did a miniature bow. Ori giggled.

FIli could remember the last time they had had Ori over. He was only a tiny dwarfling. He could distinctly remember protesting when Dis told him that he had to clean the whole room, because Kili was too young to help. As a form of rebellion, Fili hadn't cleaned the room, despite the fact that they were having guests over. When Ori toddled into their room, he promptly tripped over a shoe and landed flat on his face. Fili had begged for him not to cry- he didn't want Dis to know he hadn't cleaned up.

After that, Fili hadn't really spent much time with Ori. It wasn't that he didn't like Ori- it was just that Dori didn't really approve of Fili and Kili as company. Whenever they spent time with Ori, he always ended up getting slightly bruised. Dori, being the overprotective dwarf that he was, didn't want Ori to be getting hurt so frequently.

But nothing had gone wrong- so far, at least.

Fili broke out of his reminiscing to see Kili about to demonstrate to Ori how Thorin cut off the Pale Orc's arm. Using a real dagger. With Ori pretending to be the Pale Orc.

"What are you doing?" Fili ran over and snatched the dagger from Kili, putting it on the highest shelf he could find.

"Hey- I was using that!" Kili protested.

"Kili. You can't just cut off our guest's arms."

"Why not?"

"I don't know... it's unsanitary?" Fili said sarcastically. "Kili, cutting off people's arms is not only mean, but very painful for them too."

Kili rolled his eyes. Ori stood there, mouth slightly ajar, disbelief written across his face. Fili knew that Dori had cautioned Ori about how reckless the brothers were- Kili knew it too.

Kili began laughing at the expression on Ori's face. "Don't worry, Ori. I wouldn't _really _cut off your arm."

Ori smiled. "That's a relief!"

"Dinner time, boys!" Dis called happily.

Kili sprinted out of the room quickly, drawn to the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. Fili and Ori heard him trip and knock into something as he ran.

"Kili's very... energetic." Ori said.

"He is, isn't he." Fili agreed as they began walking along.

"Not that it's bad in any way- it's just a little confronting, is all." Ori continued. Fili glanced at the small ginger dwarf. Sometimes he wished Kili would be more quiet and polite like Ori.

"Don't dawdle, you two, or Kili will get all your soup!" Dis said loudly as Fili and Ori made their way into the kitchen.

Kili's eyes lit up. "Go _really _slowly." Kili said. Ori slowed down.

Fili shook his head. "You're not eating our soup, Kee. Mum was joking."

Kili looked at Dis with intense betrayal written all over his face. Dis shrugged, and continued serving up the soup.

"This smells delicious, Lady Dis!" Ori said kindly as she poured him a bowl.

"Why thank you, Ori, but I'd like it if you just called me Dis."

"Yeah, Ori- you don't need to speak fancy for mum." Kili grinned.

"He's being polite, Kili, something you could learn from." Dis said with a hint of a smile.

"Hey!" Kili said indignantly. Dis chuckled.

"Go on- eat your soup. Thorin'll be here soon enough." Dis gestured for them to start eating. Kili eagerly slurped up his first spoonful, closely followed by Fili. Ori, on the other hand, didn't move.

"What's wrong Ori?" Dis asked.

"Aren't you going to have any soup?"

"I will, but later."

"Oh- so it's okay if I start now?"

"But of course!" Dis smiled, but Fili could sense she was slightly unnerved at how quiet and polite Ori was.

"Thank you!" Ori beamed and began eating- rather quickly, in fact.

"Wow, Ori- you're a faster eater than me!" Kili said excitedly.

"Goodness- doesn't Dori feed you?" Dis said jokingly.

"Dori feeds me- don't worry, he takes care of me. There's nothing wrong." Ori said hastily. Dis hesitated, about to say something, but at that moment, Thorin walked in the door.

"Good evening! How are we all?"

"Very good, thank you Uncle!" Fili smiled.

"Who's this? Would it happen to be young Master Ori?" Thorin put his coat down and addressed Ori.

"Hello, sir!" Ori said timidly.

Thorin looked at Ori carefully. "Are you alright, son? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Ori blushed, aware of the fact that all four Durins were looking at him. He mumbled a response that no one heard.

Dis spared him from the embarrassment. "We're having soup tonight!"

"Excellent!" Thorin walked over to the pot of soup and served himself some.

By now, the boys had just about finished- Ori being the first. Kili then decided that it was the opportune time to tell the family about a dream he had recently had.

"Did you know that last night I had a dream about a goblin? His name was Marvin. It was a very weird name. He was in love with a tortoise! What a silly old goblin he was."

"Um..." Ori shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As much as he would have loved to hear about Marvin the goblin, he had finished his soup, and his instinctive neatness was telling him to put the bowl away- however he had no idea where to put it. It appeared that Kili hadn't heard him.

"And so Marvin was just walking along, and then he saw me, and tried to eat me, but he thought I looked too much like the tortoise, which wasn't very nice, really, but it saved me from being eaten."

"Excuse me-"

"And I was so offended, I decided to slap him. But he completely disappeared!"

Ori couldn't wait much longer. The dirty bowl in front of him was making him nervous. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my bowl?"

Fili sent Ori a knowing look. It was evident that this spectacle was a regular dinner-time event. He stood up and began taking his own bowl to the bench. "Here you go Ori, give it to me."

Ori didn't know why he threw it. Perhaps it was excitement. Perhaps it was because Kili sneezed extremely loudly behind him. What ever it was, it resulted in Ori tossing his bowl at Fili, who caught it just before it hit his face. Everybody in the room froze.

The look stuck on Thorin's face was halfway between shock and amusement. He was obviously enjoying the fact that the shy and quiet Ori had done something as out-there as that. Dis looked almost horrified that such a perfectly behaved child had just thrown a bowl. Fili looked relieved, yet dumbstruck. Kili looked like he had just found his new favourite hobby.

Ori was the first to speak. "I am so, so sorry- I don't know what came over me!"

Kili shook his head hastily. "Don't apologise! This is awesome!" Kili grabbed his bowl and threw it at Fili, the last remnants of his soup splashing over the floor.

Fili managed to catch the bowl in his other hand, and with a devilish grin, he threw it back at Kili.

Thorin looked slightly bemused, but continued to eat his soup, ignoring the chaos erupting around him. Dis was still frozen, a mortified expression on her face.

Ori quickly made his way over to Dis, and began the most sincere apology he could think of. Dori had warned him not to make a fuss- the poor woman had enough on her hands with Fili and Kili- and now he had gone and thrown a bowl at her son. Kili had run over to the cupboard and was now throwing plates and bowls at Fili, who was making a considerable effort to catch them all. They worked well together- Kili's quick and accurate throws paired with Fili's agile reflexes and steady hands lead to minimal broken crockery. Dis was slowly breaking out of her frozen state, but she couldn't see what her sons were doing because Ori was still in front of her, apologising profusely.

"And I am so sorry I've started this mess, and I'll help clean up afterwards, I really will- Dori says I'm a good cleaner, and I help him clean a lot-"

"Thank.. thank you Ori, but what are my boys- is Kili going through my cupboard?" Dis made to stand up, but Ori began speaking again.

"I will help clean up, and I'll be especially good for the rest of the night, and I'll accept any punishment you want to give me-"

"Ori, I won't pu-"

"And I'm sorry if I set off Fili and Kili, because I know that they may cause you some trouble, but I promise I'll never do anything like throw a bowl again."

"You are forgiven. Now-"

Ori continued to apologise incessantly. Dis looked up just in time to see Kili throw a large plate, and Fili leap to the side but just miss it. It clattered to the floor, a magnificent crack forming on one side.

"Don't crack my plates!" Dis yelled over Ori's apologies. Thorin looked up calmly, surveying the scene as he finished his soup. Kili heeded his mother's instruction, and moved on from the plates (there were hardly any left in the cupboard by now) to the cutlery draw. Fili had turned his back on his brother and was attending to all the plates and bowls he had caught and put on the bench. Kili decided to throw a fork at his brother with all his might. Thorin stood up and made a warning yelp- Dis had found herself frozen in shock again. Ori stopped his apology and turned around too.

At the last second, Fili spun around, saw the fork, and ducked. It clattered against the wall with such force that several of the tines bent upon impact. Fili held up the now misshapen fork for his brother to see. A fleeting look of apology crossed his face, but Fili smiled in his brotherly, forgiving way.

"Don't bend my forks!" Dis yelled at last. Fili looked hurt that Dis prioritised her forks' safety over his. Kili decided it would be a good time to throw a spoon at Fili. Fili caught it in easily, and threw it back. Kili caught the spoon, and threw it carelessly to the side, shattering a bottle of wine that Dis kept on the bench.

"Stop your recklessness, Kili! You can't just go around smashing my bottles!" Dis instructed, and made to get up, but was stopped by Ori's small figure blocking her way. He was staring at the brothers playing, excitement and horror evident in his expression. He wasn't moving. Dis slumped back into her chair defeatedly. Why did she have to put up with this?  
>The dark, reddish-purple wine was now spilling all over her floor and drenching her carpet. And yet, the boys continued to toss the crockery around, seemingly oblivious to the damage they were causing. Dis shot an exasperated look at Thorin, who was still standing. Kili had moved on to throwing mugs and cups at his brother. This wasn't as easy to catch for Fili- there were plenty dropping to the floor and chipping.<p>

"Boys- stop. You're chipping the glasses." Thorin said, and walked over to them. "If you're going to throw cups, Kili, don't aim for Fili's chest- it's too awkward for him to catch. Aim a little above his head, or maybe to the side."

Kili's eyes lit up. Thorin stood next to him and pointed out where he meant. Fili grinned as he caught the cup Kili threw just above his head.

"Isn't that better, Fili?" Thorin asked.

"Much better, thank you!" Fili laughed.

"Thorin!" Dis groaned.

Kili threw a glass to the side of Fili's head. Fili bounced it off his right elbow, and said "Uncle- catch!" before knocking it to his left elbow, and right over to his uncle. Thorin caught it.

"Impressive."

"Ooh- I wanna try!" Kili jumped up and down excitedly, and prepared to do what his brother did, only with his knees. He was so excited, in fact, that when he bounced the mug off of his knee, it rocketed in the complete wrong direction- towards Ori and Dis. The mug missed them, luckily enough, but, rather unluckily, it bounced off the table and left a sizeable dent.

Thorin leant down and muttered something to Kili about needing a little more practice. Kili nodded, and prepared to try his stunt again.

"Enough!" Dis yelled, standing up. "Don't you dare try that foolish little trick again, Kili Durin, or I'll chop off your head and mount it on the wall. You have had the most _atrocious _manners I have ever seen!"

Fili and Kili had a lot of respect for their mother. They enjoyed playing around, but would never do anything too much for fear of Dis' wrath. Kili had a feeling that they had just crossed the line, and a warning look from Fili confirmed his suspicions.

"To your room! Now!" Dis commanded. Fili and Kili quickly hurried down the hall, followed closely by Ori, who seemed to know not to cross with Dis. Thorin moved to help clean up when Dis hissed, "_All _of you."

Thorin looked at her with shock. Nobody commanded the King under the Mountain to go to his room.

Dis narrowed her eyes.

Nobody, it seemed, but his younger sister.

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"Our manners weren't _that _atrocious, were they Fee?" Kili asked. Fili shrugged.

"It could have been worse," Ori said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Kili asked incredulously. "We cracked plates! We threw crockery into the air! We chipped glasses! We bent forks!"

"Don't forget how you smashed the wine bottle." Fili said with a smirk.

"Exactly!" Kili said, and found himself smiling too.

"I don't know. It could have been worse." Ori smiled a little too. "You could have splashed all the wine everywhere."

Kili chuckled. "We could have taken today's milk and poured it all over the floor."

"We could have taken the ham-bone and put it in mum's bedroom." Fili laughed.

"You'll _not _be doing that." Thorin said as he walked in. Thorin shared a room with his sister when he stayed, but as Dis was in a bad mood, he didn't want to stay in her room for fear of her storming in. He decided he'd wait with Ori and his nephews.

"We won't actually do that- we were just talking about worse things we could've done." Fili said.

"Like getting the wine everywhere, or pouring all the milk onto the floor!" Kili chimed in.

"You could have rolled the plates down the hall." Thorin commented absentmindedly. This received an uproar of laughter from the boys.

The next few minutes were spent coming up with crazy ideas about how their manners could have been worsened. Soon, however, the ideas became less and less plausible.

"We could set spiders into the cupboard so the dishes were covered in webs!" Kili laughed.

"That's stupid, Kee." Fili said.

"Hey- I don't hear you coming up with better stuff."

"I can't think of any more." Fili admitted. "But I reckon that Mr Bofur would be excellent at this."

This earned a murmur of agreement.

"I'll bring it up next time I see him." Thorin said.

"You won't get a chance to see him after this if mum doesn't let us out." Fili said, and Kili nodded knowingly.

"It can't be that bad- Dis is a lovely lady." Ori decided.

"When she's not mad." Kili said. "Once she didn't let me out of my room for a week because I tried to sell Fili."

"Oh yes- I remember that." Fili said flatly. "And then, when I came into our room whilst you were imprisoned, you bit me in an attempt to escape."

Kili shrugged, as if that was a dilemma that most young dwarves faced.

"I think it'd be best if I talked to her," Thorin decided, and left the room.

He had expected to see Dis cleaning, or perhaps sunken in her chair, having completely given up. As he approached the kitchen door, however, he heard a small clanging sound- like someone had dropped a wooden bowl on the floor.

He opened the door, careful to not make a noise, and saw Dis bouncing a wooden bowl on her elbows and knees like Fili and Kili had, only to drop it and try again. Thorin had to admit- she was getting quite far. Over and over she tried, doing better each time.

The bowl fell to the floor and rolled away, causing Dis to chase after it. Thorin tried to suppress the chuckle- he really did- but he laughed, giving away his position.

"Thorin?" Dis straightened up.

Thorin didn't know what to say.

Dis sighed. "Do you think I was too harsh on the boys?"

Thorin smiled softly. "Don't worry- you could have been worse."

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**Hey guys!**

**As many of you have probably guessed, this fic correlates directly with the film. For that reason, Ori is the wrong age (again). I based this chapter off of Chip the Glasses and Crack the Plates, the poem from the chapter 'An Unexpected Party' in the Hobbit. The original poem goes:**

**_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_**

**_Blunt the knives and bend the forks!_**

**_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates—_**

**_Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_**

**_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat! _**

**_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_**

**_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_**

**_Splash the wine on every door!_**

**_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_**

**_Pound them up with a thumping pole;_**

**_And when you've finished if any are whole,_**

**_Send them down the hall to roll!_**

**_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_**

**_So, carefully! carefully with the plates!_**

**The sequence of the lines is changed quite a bit in Peter Jackson's adaption, but that actually doesn't matter to this fic. Oh well.**

**On another note- I'd like to say a huge thank you to every single person who has read this fic (and especially those who have stuck with it since the beginning). **

**This fic has accumulated:**

**24 160 views**

**72 reviews**

**47 followers**

**41 favourites**

**and it's in 2 communities.**

**Thank you so much! I appreciate every single view, review, follow and favourite. **

**As always, any reviews and/or suggestions would be extremely helpful. **

**Yet again, thank you! **

**Love from the Potterhead from Middle Earth! :)**


	35. The Fog

**A/N: Hi guys! **

**Guess what? Today, on the 26th of January (Australia time), The Fili and Kili Chronicles turned one year old. As a special celebration, and in honour of chapter one, the chapter is a collaboration with MagicJediElf. She helped start this story with me, and one year on, she's agreed to help me again. As you may notice when reading, this fic has been divided into sections, and we worked on them separately- MagicJediElf did the 1st, 3rd and 5th, and I did the 2nd, 4th and 6th- but we've tried to unify them as much as possible. I'll apologise in advance- this is going to be a rather long chapter- but hopefully it'll be worth the read. Enjoy!**

xx

Dis sat silently in the cushioned armchair, wrapped up in what seemed like a million woolen blankets. She never liked being sick, it made her feel rather powerless, a sensation she didn't enjoy. She was used to caring for other people, not being cared for. She had left Kili in the care of his older brother, which hopefully wouldn't cause too much of a problem. She'd tried hard to press the importance of staying _out_ of trouble to both of them, though that usually _didn't_ work, she hoped they'd be more cooperative due to the current situation. She'd been coughing all day, and every muscle in her body seemed to ache. Suppressing another cough, Dis let out a hoarse call for her sons- she could hear pots clanging in the kitchen, and if it wasn't Thorin, that would result in a catastrophic mess- not that her brother was especially tidy in the first place.

Dis smiled to herself as she heard the pattering of the tiny dwarves' feet outside her door, there was nothing in the world she loved more than her sons. As she expected, she saw Kili first, soon followed by a concerned looking Fili.

"Yes mum?" Kili came over and sat on her lap, she patted his back softly, trying not to cough.

"I was just checking that it wasn't you making that racket in the kitchen"

"Um" Fili looked at the floor guiltily

"We cleaned it up!" Kili piped in, "we did, I swear, Fili just dropped his plate!"

It seemed like they were telling the truth, she hoped they were, she wasn't about to ask Thorin to clean the kitchen, and she knew she wasn't capable of it herself. She felt sorry for Fili and Kili, especially Kili. It seemed like it was cold outside, judging by the temperature indoors, and without her there to clean up after them Fili and Kili were getting _very_ bored. Before long Kili would try to attack the wardrobe or something, and Fili would probably be powerless to stop him.

"Can we go _outside_ mum?" Kili had been asking Dis that all day and his whinging was beginning to get to her.

"I don't want you to get sick too Kili, you don't want to end up like _this_ do you?" Dis gestured to her blankets, she had to admit she looked a lot like a snowman, and when she lifted her arms she felt like an overweight bird.

"But mum, its _boring_ in here, there's nothing to _do_!" It was Fili this time, and Dis couldn't help but comply with their request. She guessed it would be better for them to have a slight cough than for her to have to spend her recovery time returning the kitchen to a safe zone or making an entirely new set of blankets because Kili had set a makeshift tent on fire.

" I guess so, but wear a coat, don't catch a cold ok?" Dis smiled at the excited expressions that lit up on her sons' faces "And don't do anything too reckless Kee." Dis swore Kili's head was bouncing as he assured her he wasn't reckless at all, and even if he really was he wouldn't be today.

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"Hey _Fee_" Kili held a limp woolen hat in front of him and gave it a disgusted look "Do I _have_ to wear this?"

"Mum said not to catch a cold Kee" Fili stuck his own hat onto his head and grimaced at the pom poms that dangled off the side.

" It's not that cold outside, come feel it" Kili was dancing around just outside the door, he had dropped the beanie next to Fili's feet.

Hanging the two hats bag on the wooden pegs, Fili joined his brother outside. It was less cold than he had thought. It was still chilly but it was more humid and the air smelled like it had just rained. Fili gingerly closed the front door, taking care not to wake up Dis, and ran out to meet Kili who was already getting close to the small trees at the beginning of the woods.

As Fili began to catch up to his brother Kili suddenly stopped and Fili almost fell over trying to slow down before he crashed into him.

"Woah what was that for Kee?" Fili stopped to recover his breath

"I don't really want to go into the forest today" Kili stood there motionless, and Fili had to suppress a laugh at how solemn his normally energetic brother looked.

However, he was also a bit confused, it wasn't that he necessarily wanted to go into the woods either, but Kili was acting strange. "And why is that?"

Kili turned to his brother and whispered "There's something in there." Kili huddled to Fili's side and pointed accusingly into the forest.

Fili looked into the trees trying to determine what his brother was talking about. "See it Fee?" Fili squinted and stared into the forest, he had no idea what Kili was seeing "Its all _misty_."

"Oh, Fog." Fili chuckled to himself, Kili's dramatic flair never ceased to amuse him.

" Fog? What do you mean?" Kili looked up at Fili quizzically

"You know what fog is don't you?"

Kili looked down at the floor, scowling, as if Fog somehow confused all that he had ever believed to be true, but then the expression vanished and was replaced by his usual excited grin "Yeah, it's that" and he pointed to the misty clouds gathering in front of them.

Fili shook his head and laughed,, Kili could be so slow sometimes. "So do you want to go into the forest or not?"

"Um… I don't think so, we can just play hide and seek here" Kili looked admirably at the mist "with the fog!"

Fili smiled and covered his eyes "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" He could hear Kili running away "Ready or not here I come!"

**xxxxx**

Section 2

"Fee, I'm _hungry." _Kili said, whinging slightly.

"What? Bored of the fog already, are you?" Fili said with a satirical grin.

"No," Kili said defensively, "I'm just hungry. Maybe mum will let us come back out afterwards."

"Of course she will. She knows how energetic you get from being cooped up indoors for so long."

"Hey!" Kili playfully kicked a handful of earth at his brother, and he disturbed the fog, sending it floating serenely in Fili's direction. "Fee…" Kili whispered.

"What?"

"It's alive!" Kili looked at Fili with wide eyes. Fili looked back with an unimpressed expression.

"Do you think it's hungry too? What if we fed it our lunch?" Kili pondered.

"Fog doesn't eat dwarf food." Fili said, and then, with a small smile, he added, "Fog eats little dwarves."

Kili yelped, and scrambled in the direction of their house. Fili laughed, and followed him.

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Dis sniffled a little. Thorin handed her her handkerchief, which she accepted gratefully. He disappeared into the kitchen again, and continued to make her and the boys lunch. She was thankful that she had a brother like Thorin to look after her, and to manage her boys whilst she was ill.

Where were her boys? She had heard a few loud screams (of delight, she hoped) a few minutes prior. Hopefully they'd get home soon enough- but she needn't have worried. Kili was pretty much unpredictable, but the one thing you could count on was him eagerly showing up for meals.

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"Boys!" Thorin exclaimed as they walked in.

"Uncle!" They yelled back, and leapt into his arms. As he picked them up, he couldn't help but notice a small ache in his back- but he ignored it. It was inevitable that he would age, but he would rather focus on what he was doing now than what the future would bring.

"What are you doing here?" Fili asked as Kili climbed onto Thorin's somewhat sore back. He winced, before replying, "Your mother asked me here to help get you lunch. She didn't want you to catch her cold."

Thorin picked up a plate of haphazardly assembled sandwiches, and made his way to Dis' room, the boys in tow.

Dis blearily looked up as they walked in. Her nose was a tickled pink colour, and her eyes were watery. Nevertheless, she still greeted her children and brother with a smile.

Thorin put down the sandwiches. Dis took one, followed by her sons, then Thorin. Thorin eagerly ate his, but Fili, Kili and Dis nibbled a little more tentatively. Thorin had a unique cooking style- that much was evident.

"What's this?" Kili asked as he pulled what looked like a limp leaf from in between the slices of bread.

"It's lettuce. Bofur got it for me from the markets. It's meant to be good for you."

Kili looked at Dis in shock. "Mr Bofur was here yet you asked _Uncle _to cook us lunch?"

"Kili!" Dis snapped. "Manners, please!"

Thorin looked slightly amused. "Am I that bad?"

"No- you're cooking's fine, Thorin." Dis scowled at Kili. "So- what's it like out there?"

Fili could sense his mother trying to change the subject. "You'll never believe it- there's f-"

"There's fog outside!" Kili interrupted with enthusiasm.

"Fog? Really?" Dis smiled, reminiscing. "I haven't seen fog in quite a while! I almost can't remember what it looks like!" Dis joked.

Fili and Thorin smiled along with it, but Kili looked horrified. "What do you mean you don't know what fog looks like?"

"Kee- it's a figure of speech, I-" Dis began, but she was interrupted by Kili.  
>"Fee- we have to show mum fog!"<p>

"She can't go outside, Kee."

"Then we'll bring the fog inside- to her!"

Fili sighed. This was going to be interesting.

**xxxxx**

"Kee!" Fili ran out of the room, hot on the heels of his little brother "Kee, wait!"

Fili could hear Kili chanting 'Fog' over and over again with a few other inaudible words packed in between.

"Kee! What are you doing?" Kili's small body swung and hurtled through the kitchen door, Fili winced as he heard his collision with the dining table. Hurrying up Fili turned into the kitchen to check on his brother, the collision hadn't seemed to faze him and he was still in his frantic state. Fili couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.

Kili was standing on the counter and Fili swore he had shoved half of his body inside the cupboard. "Kee, _what_ are you looking for?"

Kili emerged victoriously from the cabinet, knocking over a few mugs on his way out, "This!". Held tightly in his small, pudgy hands was a glass jar of marmalade, covered with a neat square of plaid cloth.

"_That_?" Fili inspected the jar. A jar or some other container was probably the only way to catch fog, at least he couldn't think of any other way. "But the marmala-" Fili was cut short when he saw his brother, holding the jar upside down. Now without a lid. "_Kili!" _Fili shoved his little brother towards the sink. Sighing, he then grabbed a towel and wiped off the floor, "You don't just pour Mum's marmalade on the _floor_!" he wrung out the wet cloth after washing it "she said _not_ to make a mess!"

"Ok, then we won't, where else will we get jars from?"

"We can use any sort of container, if we can't find jars." Fili wracked his brains for other ideas, "Here, look" Fili took a glass form the shelf and placed the piece of cloth from the marmalade jar on top of it, then tied some string around it. "It's a container!". FIli laughed for the next five minutes as Kili desperately tried to repeat Fili's manoeuvre with a wine glass. It involved much frustration on Kili's part, held-back laughter on Fili's and a considerable amount of advice on his as well. Once Fili had finally finished the job for Kili the two set off to capture the fog.

xxxx

Fili smiled as he saw Kee's face light up at the sight of the fog. His little brother could get excited at the slightest thing, something Fili, at times, envied. "Hey Kee, over here" Fili led Kili towards the the small field chuckling to himself as he listened to his endless chatter about how strange fog was, and why was fog called fog in the first place "It should really be called Gloom" he had said, with an added explanation on how gloomy was after all, a much more dramatic way to say misty or foggy. Fili couldn't be bothered to explain that gloomy wasn't a term for weather.

"Look, Kee" Fili whispered pointing to a clump of fog swirling in the air.

Stealthily, or as discreetly as possible for a young dwarf, Kili tiptoed towards the small clouds- and with a high-pitched battle cry leaped towards it, jar in hands.

"Fee, I got it!" Curious, Fili walked over to his brother, sprawled on the ground and holding the lidless jar to the ground. The brothers had ended up finding a large store of jars in the bottom kitchen cupboard, proper ones, with lids.

"Ok, 3, 2, 1!" Kili flipped the jar so the opening of the jar was at the top and Fili jammed the lid on top. They had devised a plan, Kili would capture the fog and then Fili would put it in the basket with all the other jars which he was carrying around. That hadn't been his own idea, Kili had insisted that he would be the one to capture the fog, and Fili hadn't had the heart to say no.

xxxxxx

"How many-" Kili flew towards another patch of fog and landed on the ground with a dry 'thump' "-do we have, Fee?"

"Enough, I reckon Kee" Fili had been insisting that they'd had enough fog for a while now, kili didn't seem to care. They'd already filled three baskets worth of jars, the jars from those baskets were piled up in Dis' room because Fili dropped one of them and spilled the 'precious contents' of one of the jars. The other obstacle was, and this was no small obstacle at all, that Fili could not even see the fog. Kili had yet to discover this- Fili knew he wouldn't be pleased.

"Ok, I guess we're done then" Fili slid the lid onto the jar and put it carefully into his basket.

"There's nothing _in_ there Fee!" Kili had grabbed the jar back from the basket and was frantically turning the jar checking for anything inside.

"I think fog might be invisible inside jars Kee, none of them have anything inside."

"But Mum has to _see_ fog!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Bofur looked out the window. Today was quite a foggy day. The untimely cold mixed with the humidity created rolling waves of almost opaque fog that surrounded Bofur's house. The rest of his family were out, working the forges further in town. Bofur had returned from town himself- along with a crate full of new supplies and equipment. It was probably about time that he unpacked it all.

He walked over to the crate, where everything was exactly in the spot that he had left it- except, of course, for the head of lettuce that he had brought back and given to Thorin. He had had a good laugh when he saw it- it was naught but a ball of leaves- so he had been shocked when Thorin graciously accepted it and decided he would feed it to his family. Bofur chuckled to himself as he began putting away his new tools. He would have to ask Thorin how the lads reacted to the lettuce when they met next.

He heard cries in the distance- it sounded like someone was yelling for him, and getting closer. The louder the voices got, the clearer their words became and the more distinctive their voices were.

"Mr Bofur! Mr Bofur!" cried the voices.

_Speak of the devil, _Bofur thought, _that'd be the lads now. _He watched their tiny little shapes run through the fog, which was almost up to their knees. It was obvious that they hadn't had much practice navigating such thick fog- Bofur watched as one figure tripped and was tugged along by his brother, who also fell flat on his face. Poor things. It'd be cruel to let them stumble along any further by themselves.

Bofur ran outside and greeted them, and helped them find their way inside (Bofur knew the ground outside his house like the back of his hand- with or without fog). His kind gesture was met with a small chorus of thanks and greetings.

"Quite a foggy day, isn't it?" He mused.

"Yessir- it is." Fili said with a nod.

"And I hear your ma is unwell?" Bofur inquired.

"Yes- she's very sick. Very sick indeed." Kili said gravely.

"Oh- I didn't know it was that serious." Bofur sat down, and gestured for the boys to take the two remaining seats.

"It's not serious, it's naught but a mere cold, is all-" Fili began, but was yet again interrupted by his brother.

"She's very ill- I think it's because she's so old."

"Old? Your ma has still got half her life ahead of her!" Bofur exclaimed.

"But she's so frail- and she's forgetting things too!" Kili exclaimed. "Just yesterday, she called me Fili!"

"She said Fili because she was talking to me." Fili mumbled.

Kili ignored his brother. "And this morning, she forgot what fog looks like!"

"She didn't forget, Mr Bofur, she said it had been so long that she couldn't-"

"So Fili and I are here with a plan," stated Kili, "to get our mother her dying wish."

"KILI!" Fili yelled and hit him on the arm. "You're so dramatic. Mum's just stuck in bed with a cold, and was saying it hadn't been foggy for so long that she almost couldn't remember what it looked like. Of course she remembers- she was using it as a figure of speech." Fili explained, and Bofur nodded. He seemed to have gotten hold of the situation, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to go along with it.

"I'm sure your ma's fine, but I'll help you with your plan." Bofur said, and leant back in his chair. "What do you need?"

Fili had always admired Bofur's willingness to aid people, but he couldn't help wonder if it was a mistake for Bofur to help Kili.

Kili shuffled in his chair so that he was closer to Bofur. "We want to build a machine- one that will transport fog from outside to inside."

"We've tried using jars, but that doesn't work." Fili decided to help his brother.

"It'd take more than jars to move fog, lads." Bofur noted, "and I hate to break it to you, but I think it'll take more than any machine I can build."

"Can't we try?" Kili asked, pouting slightly and batting his eyelashes. Fili had to admit- Kili was good.

Bofur sighed. He was obviously finding it hard to say no to such a cute face. "I don't know if it's possible, but I'll do what I can."

Bofur ushered the brothers away from his new tools and material, and towards his scrap pile.

"Make what you'd like. I'll help with the hard stuff."

And so the next hour or so was spent with Kili trying to force scraps of metal together, and Fili trying to sketch diagrams and plans in the dust on the floor, and Bofur putting together clever little pieces that would help them. Soon enough, they had assembled a small contraption, with a handle on the side (courtesy of Bofur) that they could wind around to create a small whirring noise. It had a chamber for the fog to be stored in, that Kili had bashed together haphazardly. Fili had created a nozzle, after much careful planning.

"Thank you Mr Bofur!" exclaimed Kili. He wrapped him in an embrace, and then grabbed the device and ran outside, chanting again. Fili said goodbye too, and ran off after his brother. Bofur didn't have time to ask if they'd enjoyed their lettuce.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Fee! It's- not- working!" Kili said, as he hit the machine in an attempt to make it work.

"Just wind the handle and point the nozzle at the fog, like we designed it to."

"I- can't - wind- it!" Kili pulled on the handle, and before Fili could shout 'you're forcing it the wrong way!', Kili had snapped the handle off.

"What have you done!" exclaimed Fili.

"What you told me to!"

"I didn't tell you to break it." grumbled Fili, obviously upset his brother has broken the device before his design could be tested. "Now what are we going to do?"

"I think I know someone who can help." Kili said mysteriously, and smiled at his brother. "Follow me."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Who is it Kili? _Kee-" _Kili seemed to be tugging him across the whole town.

"It's a _secret" _Kee seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, a broad, giddy smile was plastered to his face and he would wave to anyone who passed saying 'hullo sir' or 'fog's nice t'day in'it miss'. He would pay no mind to Fili who would give a quick smile or rushed wave before being tugged by his younger brother down the street.

Sometimes, when he saw someone he knew he'd give them a pleading glance, or try and receive some sort of rescue- but to no avail, most of the time they'd just chuckle to themselves and return with an apologetic smile. He guessed it was because this wasn't exactly a rare occurrence.

"Can you at least give me a _clue?_" It would probably someone like Bifur, he _was_ a toy maker after all- though Fili doubted they'd be going to him, Kili always got a bit scared of him for some reason.

x

Thorin got up as the doctor finally left the room. Thankfully, Dis didn't have much more than a slight chest infection- but the doctor insisted on giving her an all-round check-up 'just in case', but Thorin reckoned he was just trying to get more money out of them. Dis also seemed to be relieved by the doctor's departure, she sat up immediately and sighed.

"Thorin- " she coughed to clear her voice "You wouldn't have seen Fili and Kili would you?"

"You haven't seen them?!" Thorin chuckled to himself and gestured towards the end of the bed, a pile of jars were precariously arranged in a pyramid formation- undoubtedly the work of FIli.

"Oh." Dis' jaw dropped, and an expression of good-natured shock was plastered onto her face. Thorin couldn't help but smile as Dis cocked her head to the side and observed the glass. He could see that she was scolding herself for sleeping, but also admiring how quiet her children could be when they put their minds to it.

"Is that-" she seemed to be trying to place her words correctly "-the _fog_?" she was struggling to resist laughter.

"It appears so." Thorin got up to put the covers back over Dis, who was shivering.

"Where'd they get the jars from?" She reluctantly fell back onto the pillows and sighed.

"I assume, they got them from the kitchen Dis" She eyed her brother wearily as he fluffed up the pillows and moved to turn off the light.

"You are _not_ my mother Thorin"

Thorin smiled to himself as he flicked the switch, "And you're not mine, sleep and I'll go find the boys."

x

"_KILI!_" Fili skidded as his little brother raced around the corner, they were back in the marketplace. "_Where_ are we going, _what_ are we doing and _why_ are you dragging me in circles around town!?"

Kili responded by waving to Bofur and dragging Fili away before he could attempt to apologise for his brother's recklessness with the machine, or comment on how much he really _did_ like the lettuce.

"_Fine_" Kili kept on running, but this time in a straight line. "I'll give you a clue."

Fili began to notice a change in terrain as they ran, finally, Kili seemed to have broken from the normal circuit.

"He's got braids" Fili sighed, Kili wasn't being very helpful, almost anyone in the entire village could be the mystery fog person if that was his only clue. Even he had a braid, though it was a small one.

"That's not fair!" Fili was confused but Kili just rolled his eyes as if having braids was a perfectly acceptable and easy clue.

"Ok, he's-" Kili seemed to be lost for ideas and began humming to himself as he tried to come up with one.

Fili smiled and began to calm down, it seemed Kee's thinking meant they got to slow down a bit.

"He's very maj-uh" Fili collided with the gravel beneath him, and it seemed so did his brother- judging by the small body that he felt lying on top of his. Thankfully, he felt Kili get up, and soon Fili found himself being lifted by a strong dwarvish hand- Thorin's.

x

"Hullo Thorin" Kili seemed to have recovered extremely quickly.

"Hello Kili, I was just coming to look for you" Thorin glanced inquisitively at FIli, who was still brushing some gravel of his arm- he seemed to get the worst of the fall. He responded with a slightly concerned expression, one that only Fili could give and that clearly meant that he would tell him later- _and_ that the event concerned involved some strange behaviour on Kili's part.

"_We_ were looking for _you_ Uncle!" Thorin looked over at Fili who seemed rather shocked at the news, it seemed that was what they were 'discussing', though he didn't really feel that was an appropriate term for it.

"Ah, were you? What a coincidence, Dis saw your fog jars in her room, they're very- _nice_" Kili beamed at his praise, though he still seemed a bit concerned about something.

"We have a problem Uncle Thorin." Kili stood up straight as if making an announcement, but soon relaxed as he returned to thinking posture.

"Yes Kili?"

"The fog, it's-" he tugged on Thorin's tunic and when he crouched Kili whispered in his ear, like he was telling a secret, "-_invisible._"

x

"Well, this may be a bit hard boys, are you _sure_ you want to do this?" Fili smiled at Thorin's hopeless attempts to dissuade Kili from trying to catch fog.

Fili should've guessed that Kili was trying to get Thorin to help, who else had he ever gone to anyway? Thorin was, well and truly, Kili's idol. To say he wasn't Fili's idol would be a lie, but Kili was always looking up to him, trying to mirror him in any way possible. Sometimes, Fili thought Kili would be a better king if it came to that, though he'd occasionally think twice once Kili had made the customary mess out of the kitchen.

"The problem is, that it runs _away_" Kili was trying to explain the reason that their fog catching was failing. Thorin was feigning interest and appeared to be brainstorming ideas of his own.

Fili felt goosebumps rise on his skin and when he checked for the cause, he discovered that it had begun to sprinkle, albeit lightly- though the next few drops seemed to be considerably heavier. Fili was beginning to get tired, he didn't know how on Earth they were going to get fog to Dis, and even though he knew it was probably impossible, part of him still wanted it to happen.

He tried to compare his motives with Kili's, Kili (probably) honestly thought that Dis had forgotten what fog looked like, he smiled at the thought. But to Fili, he guessed that this was a gesture of kindness towards Dis in a way, to make up for all the glass jars she'd end up cleaning up. But Fili knew something good would also make her happy, and he knew she didn't like being sick- who did? And he wanted to make Kili happy to, because Kee would undoubtedly be heartbroken when he found out it was physically impossible to put fog in a jar.

xx

Fog. It was misty and grey and it lived in the sky. Fog was not Clouds though, it was prettier and it floated and twirled- and it was lower down, it was like dwarve-sized clouds. Kili poked curiously at a small crop of fog and watched it float away. He wondered why, maybe that was why the fog couldn't be seen? He tried the same technique on his arm- it didn't run away. He poked again, a bit more vigorously, all he could feel was a slight breeze before his finger made contact with his skin.

"Hey!" Thorin was lifting him up and he was now looking over his shoulder, what? _why_?

"We're seeking shelter Kee, it's raining in case you didn't notice." Oooh, it was Fili- he looked very small from where Kili was, almost on top of the world.

Kili giggled "You look so _tiny_ Fee!" Fili smiled back up at him, he thought it was funny- good.

He looked back at the fog and then back at Thorin. His neck hurt. Looking down, Kili's face made impact with his uncle's back. Feeling slightly pointless and in a precarious position Kili decided to make use of his location and experiment. After brushing the wet hair from his face Kili gave one big poke to Thorin's back and the blue fabric that filled his field of vision. It seemed that this impacted his test subject, it squirmed.

Intrigued, he poked again- same results. A low rumbling sound came from his uncle, frightened Kili tried to get down, Thorin was fake! It was a _dragon_, it was _Smaug_! But then he heard Fee start giggling and he realised that Uncle was _laughing_!

"No!" This was bad, they were laughing at him! He had made a fool of himself! He should remember mum's lessons on respecting their uncle, he _was_ the King after all! "I intend, to ma-" wait, he tried to remember the word "to make a hypotemus!"

Oh, Thorin was putting him down again, they were on some sort of porch- ooh they were outside the back door of the house. Thorin crouched down and looked Kili in the eye, "A what!?"

He did not hear did he, he was too busy thinking of his earlier failure. Kili had to redeem himself "A Hypotemus, - I intend to propuss one!" Kili stood up straight, like a stick- that was what his mother had told him to do. He hoped that was the right word, he recalled Balin saying it once- he said it was a big word for an idea.

"A _hypothesis_ Kee" Kili heard a whisper in his ear- it was Fili, "- you intend to pro_pose_ one." Ah, that was it.

"I intend to prawpose a hypotothis!"

x

"- And when you move, you make _wind_ and the fog doesn't _like_ wind-" Thorin was beginning to zone out on what Kili was saying. Something about how moving makes wind and the fog moved away from the wind. It was actually a rather reasonable theory, maybe Kee could be a scholar of sorts when he grew up- though Thorin doubted he'd be patient enough. Besides, Kili already said he wanted to be an archer on the battlements of Erebor when they reclaimed it.

"- if fog was _thicker_ than it would be to heavy for wind to move!" But for now, Thorin was concerned with making him happy in their makeshift town. As he delved deeper into his thoughts, he remembered Dis. He had know idea what they'd do without her, it was almost time for supper and they'd have enough bread and soup for that, but the next day? Thorin knew the basics of cooking, well, he knew bread was made of yeast and water and flour. He remembered making it once and accidentally putting too much water in the bowl, it had all swirled around- of course Dis had fixed it.

Wait, _flour_. Thorin smiled to himself and began to get up.

"Uncle, where're you _going_?"

"Don't worry Kili, I have a good idea for finding fog!"

Kili's eyes lit up he look astonished "_How?_"

Great, now he would have to find an explanation "Well, um, there's this other type of fog-" this was hard, Thorin wasn't a natural storyteller "Actually, it has to be made. If you put a lot of fog together, in a small space-"

"It becomes thicker!" Kili was literally jumping up and down, Fili was deep in thought.

"It compresses!" Fili added, thankfully. Now Thorin had an idea.

"It's called _super-condensed_ fog." Thorin stood up and walked towards the door of the house, his nephews were following him.

"How about you go get some-" he didn't want to spoil this for them "some props for the fog, some nice acorns- i'll make it super-condensed for you."

Water and flour- hopefully this would work.

**xxxxx**

Dis heard a little knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked, despite the fact that she knew exactly who it was.

"Look, mummy!" Kili ran in, clutching a jar to his chest. Dis looked over at the empty jars by the end of her bed, and sighed.

"What is it?" She asked, feigning interest. She just wanted to get some sleep. Maybe Thorin would tell the boys to stop presenting her with jars of air. But lo and behold, her brother walked in straight after her eldest. Oh dear- was he onboard with this futile mission too?

"It's fog!"

"Sweetie, it's not fog, it's-" Dis stopped mid-sentence. There was actually something in the jar this time. But it wasn't fog. "What is it?"

"It's fog!" Kili said excitedly. It almost crushed Dis to tell him otherwise- he looked so proud of himself.

"It's not fog. I think it's water."

"It's super-condensed fog, actually." Fili corrected.

"Super-condensed? Thorin?" Dis turned to her brother for answers, and he shrugged.

"On a completely unrelated note, I'll be off shortly to buy you some more flour. You appear to be a little short." He smiled, and Dis rolled her eyes.

"This is unnecessary, Thorin."

"On the contrary, I think it's completely necessary. Put your eye up to the side of the jar." he instructed, and Kili nodded enthusiastically. Reluctantly, she did.

"See, mum? That's what it looks like outside." Fili said.

He was probably right. The milky white swirls of water clouded her vision, save for a few more translucent spaces. They had done it. They had shown her outside.

"Good job, boys." Dis leant over and ruffled Fili's hair. Kili, eager to have his hair ruffled too, leapt up onto Dis, knocking the jar onto her. The lid opened, and the water soaked her blankets, yet the chunks of wet flour stayed atop the pile.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, mum!" Kili yelped.

"That's okay, Kee." Dis laughed a little. "I tried not to go outside today because I didn't want to get cold, wet or dirty- I've stayed inside all day and yet I've managed to get _all thre_e_!_"

The family began laughing, and Thorin walked over to the chair Dis was resting in. It wasn't that funny a joke, but no one could oppress their laughter. In fact, Dis laughed so much that she began coughing, her sore throat playing up. Thorin shooed the boys off her lap and helped her to the kitchen, where he made a fire that she could dry off by. Fili began scooping the wet flour into the jar again.

"Don't touch that, Fee!"

"Why not?" he asked.

"The fog made mum cough!" Kili exclaimed. Fili rolled his eyes.

The two boys made their way to the kitchen, and to the crackling fire. Fili ran over to sit by it, warming himself. Kili, however, looked aghast.

"More fog!" He yelled, pointing at the smoke spiraling up from the fire. "Be careful, mum- the fog will make you cough again!"

Dis laughed a little, and, as a result, coughed a little. Kili gasped and ran over the the fire, blowing at the smoke to keep it away from his mother.

It was a rather comical sight- a young dwarf blowing at a column of smoke to keep his mother 'safe'. It wasn't doing much to shield her from the smoke, but Kili's small actions did something else- somehow, against all odds, the four dwarves, one sick, one cold, one tired and one fighting smoke, became closer than ever before.

xx

**Hello again. **

**I **_**did **_**write an A/N at the top, but I'm gonna put another one down here (because why not.) **

**Like I said, today is the Chronicles' first birthday. I want to say a huge thank you (yet again) to everyone who's read this, especially to everyone who's stuck with it for one whole year!**

**Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites it's gotten. I know I say this often, but I really do appreciate everything. **

**On a less clichéd note- please go check out MagicJediElf's page! She's an incredibly talented writer, and a wonderful person in general. She writes about Star Wars, Harry Potter, and of course, LOTR/the Hobbit. **

**x**

_**Hi, (this is MagicJediElf) Thanks, obviously, for reading- and in a way paying tribute to some of the best characters in Middle Earth. It's kind of strange to think its been a whole year!**_

**x**

**So that's all for now... as per usual, any comments and/or suggestions would be really helpful.**

**Thanks for an amazing year,**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth :)**


	36. The Questions

"Why?"

Such an innocent question, yet Fili felt very cautious of it. "... because mum said so, that's why."

"Why?"

Fili raised an eyebrow. Kili stared pleasantly back at him, smiling happily. It was only a question. Only a question.

"Because she wants the table to be cleared up for lunch."

"Why?"

Fili felt annoyance creeping up on him.

"Because we can't eat lunch when there's all this mess on the table!"

"Why?"

"Because there's not enough room for the plates!"

"Why?"

"Because your silly little project is taking up the whole table!"

"Why?"

"Goodness, Kee!" Fili groaned, yet continued to answer the questions. "Because you put it there?"

"Why?"

"Good question!" He roared.

"Fili! Lower your voice!" Dis walked in, carrying a steaming hot plate of bread rolls and a slab of cheese. "Boys, why didn't you clear the table? I thought I asked you to!"

"I tried telling him, but he-" Fili stopped, waiting for Kili to interrupt. Unusually, the dwarfling remained silent. Now? Of all times? "He wouldn't stop asking me why!"

"Why what?"

"Everything!"

"Calm down, Fee. Kili- is this true?" Dis turned to her youngest, who looked up at her plainly.

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to know."  
>"Why?"<p>

"Ah. I see what you mean." Dis turned to Fili. "Ignore your brother."

Lunch passed with minimal talking, as every sentence uttered was questioned relentlessly by Kili.

"This bread's lovely, mum!" Fili said.

"Why?" Asked Kili. Fili looked at Dis, who raised her eyebrows slightly to tell him to ignore his brother.

"I baked it this morning." Dis helped herself to another slice.

"Why?"

It was obvious that Kili's incessant pestering was getting to her slightly.

"Oh- and did I mention that Uncle Thorin's coming over later? Just for some afternoon tea."  
>"Why?"<p>

"He's your Uncle Kee- and when he's here, I want none of your silly questions."  
>"Why?"<p>

"I am _this close _to sending you to your room." Dis indicated a small amount with her fingers.

"Why?"

"Go. Now." Dis pointed to the door. Kili looked genuinely shocked.

"Why?" He asked, indignantly.

"You're not coming out until you stop your game. It's rather annoying."

Kili pouted, and put his plate on the bench. He waddled over to his room, arms crossed and shoulders hunched. It was rather comical, really- the only reason he was objecting so strongly to being sent to his room was to put on a show.

"I hope he's stopped his little shenanigans by the time Uncle gets here!" Fili chuckled.

"Oh- he will have stopped." Dis picked up her plate. "You're going to make sure of that."

"Me? Why me?"

"He'll listen to you, Fee. Just make sure he stops by time afternoon tea."

"But-"

"Fili." Dis looked him straight in the eye, her brown eyes boring straight through him.

"Yes, mum."

"Good boy. Now go in there and make your brother shut up."

xxxxxxx

Before he entered, Fili devised some rules to keep him sane.

Don't use more words than necessary, or over-explain things.

Ignore everything he says.

Don't lose focus.

Above all, never actually answer his questions. Ever.

He exhaled, and knocked on the door, refraining from saying something like 'Can I come in?', which would condone more questions.

Silence from his brother.

Fili opened the door, knowing that there was nowhere else Kili could be. His brother was sitting on the floor, legs crossed and arms folded.

"I need to speak to you."

"Why?"

"Mum says you need to stop your silly game before Uncle gets here."

"Why?"

"It's annoying."

"Why?"

Fili froze. He had just inadvertently disobeyed rule 4- his most important rule. He shook it off, figuring that it was necessary for that to be explained to Kili.

"In short- please stop saying why."

"Why?"

Ignoring his question, Fili began pacing the room, avoiding the inquisitive gaze of his brother. "I have thought of a compromise."

"Why?"

"In order to get you to stop asking pointless questions, I think I should combat them with questions of my own."

"Why?"

Fili took a deep breath. "Why?"

Kili scowled. "Why?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

Fili was already sick of it, but stuck to it in the name of progress. "Why?"

It was obvious that Kili could sense his brother's annoyance. "Why?" He asked smugly.

"Okay, maybe this was the wrong approach."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not- wait no!" Fili yelled with annoyance. Kili smirked. "You're very annoying."  
>"Why?"<p>

"You know why."

"Why?"

"That's not even a proper response."

"Why?"

"I've given up talking to you. You know that, right?" Fili wasn't even sure what he was doing any more.

"Why?"

"Kili, I will cut your nose off and feed it to a bird if you ask me that once more."

"Why?" Kili asked incredulously. It was evident that he was not only continuing his game, but genuinely confused.

"That's it!" Fili lunged at his brother, who darted out of the way. "Kee!"

"WHY?" Kili yelled at the top of his lungs, and jumped onto the bed.

"WHY NOT?" Fili yelled back, and jumped after him.

"WHY?" Kili screamed again, and leapt from his bed to Fili's.

"WHY NOT?" Fili declared, following his brother.

"WHY?" Kili hopped off the bed and scampered around the floor.

"WHY NOT?" Fili followed him, reaching out to catch his brother.

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Dis was sitting in the kitchen, sipping her mug of water and listening to her sons. Muffled cries of "Why?" and "Why not?" were wafting up the hallway.

"Why?" Kili yelled. Dis sipped her water slowly.

"Why not?" Fili responded. Dis sighed. Fili had succumbed to the temptation of joining Kili's game.

Someone knocked on the door just as Kili screeched "Why?" at the top of his lungs. Dis got up and answered.

"Dis!" Thorin smiled.

"Thorin!" Dis smiled, yet more wearily.

"WHY NOT?" Fili yelled.

"Is everything okay back there?" Thorin looked past Dis and down the hall at the closed bedroom door.

"Kili's playing the 'why' game."

"Ah."

"Tea?" Dis asked as Kili yelled "WHY?"

"I'd love some."

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Kili was a ball of energy, but even he had to slow down after a while. Fili had the unfair advantage of longer legs, and was gradually catching up to his brother.

At long last, Fili leapt one final leap and landed on his brother, with a cry of "Why not?"

"Why?" Kili yelped dramatically as he was tackled to the floor.

"Okay. I got you, and you can't escape." Fili said smugly. He had perfected the art of positioning himself in a way that Kili couldn't escape. It basically involved him using all of his weight on his brother's legs, and using his arms to pin down his torso.

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Now- you have to stop asking why."

"Why?"

"_Because, _Kee." Fili rolled his eyes. "It's annoying."

"Why?" Kili asked, laughter bubbling to his voice.

Fili grinned, and shrugged. "Why not?"

The two brothers laughed for a while, inexplicably bonding over stupid questions.

"But seriously."

"Why?"

"Thorin's going to be here any minute, and-"  
>"I'm here." Thorin was in the doorway, smiling at his nephews. "I hear you're being troublesome, Kili?"<p>

"Why?"

"So that's why you pinned him down?" Thorin asked Fili, who nodded. "Well, I think you should get off him." Fili did so. "Right- Kili, look me in the eyes."

"Why?"

"Trust me."

Surprisingly, Kili obeyed.

"Do you love me?"

"Why?"

"I want a yes or no answer. Do you love me?"

Fili saw his Uncle's plan in action as Kili's cheeky smile dissolved into a look of worry.

Of course Kili loved Thorin. He admired him more than anything. It was obvious that Kili was yearning to say 'Yes!', but the rules of his game dictated he couldn't.

"W...why?"

"If you say why again, I'm going to assume it's a no." Thorin feigned hurt.

"Fine! I love you, Uncle!" Kili threw himself into a hug, which Thorin accepted gratefully.

"Does this mean you're done with the 'whys'?"

"Yeah."

"Excellent."

"Good job, Uncle!" Fili smiled too, and joined the hug.

"I have an idea!" Kili exclaimed, and whispered into Fili's ear, who giggled and whispered to Thorin.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You took your time! Do you have anything to say, Kili?"

"Yes- I'm sorry I was so annoying." Kili smiled sweetly.

"Brilliant. Good job, Thorin. Would you like a biscuit?"

Thorin glanced at Fili, who nodded.

"Why?"

"Pardon me?" Dis turned to her brother.

Thorin smirked again. "Why?"

"THORIN!"

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**Hey guys!**

**Yet again thanks for reading another chapter. **

**I really enjoy getting suggestions in the review section- and yes, I think I'll follow user Paddfoot the Dog's idea and make dream fics for Thorin and Dis. **

**I don't know. I have other ideas too, but they need a bit of work. **

**Anyways- thanks yet again for reading, and have a wonderful day!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	37. The Debt

"Right. Here you go."

Kili handed over his hair clasp- the silver hair clasp that Bofur had made him. It was rather lovely, and he had made Fili one too. It wasn't Fili's fault that he had misplaced his- he liked it a lot, and would never do it intentionally- but alas, it was gone, and now he had to meet up with Bofur. Bofur had specifically asked to see Fili in his special clasp whilst he was learning to work the forges.

"Thank you Kee- I owe you." Fili fastened the clasp, identical to his lost one, to his braid. Bofur would never know that it belonged to his brother.

"Hmm..." Kili smirked slightly, ever so slightly, and Fili felt a fleeting fear come over him.

"I best be off-"

"Yes. I'll be waiting for you when you return."

"Kili. Don't be creepy."

Kili smiled wider, and walked away slowly, not breaking eye contact. Fili shook his head. He was a strange, strange little dwarf.

The forges were a lot of fun. Even though Fili wanted desperately to succeed Thorin and do his family proud, that would only happen if they reclaimed Erebor. In the meantime, Fili had decided he'd be a blacksmith, and keep a steady income for the dwarves.

He had had such a good time with Bofur that he almost forgot his brother creepily awaiting his return.

From the moment he entered the bedroom, he knew something was off. Kili was sitting on Fili's bed, cross-legged, smiling widely.

"I bet you're wondering why I asked you here." Kili said.

"You... you didn't ask me here."

"Hush, Fee. This is important." Kili broke character for a second- just a second- to reprimand Fili for interrupting. Fili smiled. "Anyways... you are here, because I require a service of you."

"Okay."

"Because you know how you said you owe me? Yeah. You need to pay off your debt." Kili's smile had broken through his serious facade. He seemed rather proud of himself for coming up with that.  
>"Okay. What do you want me to do?"<p>

Kili's grin faltered. "Oh. Um... I don't know yet."

"You mean you want me to do something to 'pay off my debt', but you haven't decided what it is yet?"

"I haven't had much time to think."

"I've been gone all morning!"

"Ooh! I know what you can do!" Kili perked up, and ran over to his brother. "Take the hair clip out."

"Why?"

"I don't want it to get dirty!"

"What?"

Kili scowled, and tackled his brother. Even though Kili was still small, he was tall for his age, and Fili hadn't been prepared for an attack. Using his little hands, Kili carefully unclipped the clasp off the braid, despite his older brother's struggles.

"There- was that so hard?"

"Why would it get dirty?" Fili asked, standing up as Kili placed the clasp on a table.

"You'll see."

There was nothing predictable about Kili, so Fili had no clue as to what Kili would make him do, but he guessed that being led outside, blindfolded, wasn't a good omen. He almost felt like backing out, but he was a dwarf- and dwarves didn't back out of promises.

"Almost there..."

Fili heard the sound of running water. Oh dear.

"Okay. Take off the blindfold."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. You said you owed me."

Fili begrudgingly removed the blindfold to see the river gushing in front of him. "what are we doing here, Kee?"

"Fishing."

"Excuse me?"

"Well..." Kili kicked at a pebble at his feet. "I'm hungry. And I thought that you could find a fish. And we could eat it together."

"How thoughtful." Fili answered sarcastically. "I suppose you brought fishing rods then?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Fili was about to point out that there was no fun in debts, merely gratitude, but then it dawned on him that without a fishing rod, he would have to catch the fish with...

"Do you mean to tell me that I'll be catching a fish with my bare hands to pay off a debt?"

"Yup."

"Great. Just great."

"You _have _to do it. You owe me."

"Fine. What do I need to do?"

"Take off your shirt."

"I beg your pardon?" Fili asked incredulously.

"You can't go swimming with a shirt on."

"You wouldn't dare." Fili shook his head with disgust, thinking of the icy cold river running beside them.

"Oh I would." Kili smirked back deviously, and gestured at the frigid rapids. "Go ahead."

"Are you forgetting the time we both nearly drowned in this very river? Why can't we go a little further upstream?"

"But you're a really good swimmer. You'll be fine. I bet the fish are nicer here, too" Kili beamed, and ushered him towards the water. "Just mind the rocks."

"This isn't safe."

"It's fine."

"Wait- let me get this clear." Fili turned around and faced his brother. "I get you a fish from these waters... and the debt is erased?"

"Oh no. You get the fish, and then you cook it, and some other stuff."

"_Kili_."

"Do you want me to tell Uncle you're backing out of a debt?"

Fili rolled his eyes. "I'm doing this because I love you, and I always have, so if I die, you need to deal with the fact that someone who loved you dearly and trusted you has-"

"Stop talking and fish already."

Fili groaned, and removed his outer articles of clothing so he would be able to swim properly. He then dove into the water, and begun to swim against the current. The water was positively freezing, and it felt like tiny little daggers were driving into his skin as he pushed himself against the water.

"I hope you're ... happy!" Fili said between strokes.

"I'm very amused. See any fish yet?"

"I can't see... anything... at all!"

"You'll be fine."

Kili sat atop a rock. Hmm. He was very hungry. He felt very pleased with himself. Despite his little spiel about Thorin being disappointed if Fili didn't follow through with his debt, he doubted his mother would be of the same opinion- it wasn't that she was immoral, but more so that she seemed to have something against brothers 'enslaving' each other. As she would have been the only one to get food from apart from Fili, Kili thought he had made the right choice. Yes. It was the right choice, he reflected, as he watched his brother struggling to stay afloat.

Fili took another gulp of air as he was pushed under the rushing current. It was absolutely stupid that he had to do this. He had only been swimming for about a minute, but he was beginning to think that Kili was just messing with him. Why on earth would the fish in this bit of the river taste better? Why couldn't they just buy a fish, or ask Dis for one? He wasn't going to be able to find anything in these waters, that was for sure. He had to get out- the river was too cold, and Kili was taking to long. Fili swum to the side of the river, and collapsed on the pebbly bank. He lay there, eyes closed, for a few seconds. He was breathing through his mouth, his entire body rising and falling with each breath. He hadn't realised how tired he was until now.

There was a small crunching sound coming towards him, like someone very small was walking across the pebbles with thick boots on.

"Fee? Are you dead?" Kili poked at his brother with a warm finger.

"Yes."

"I don't think you're _really _dead." Stated Kili. Fili slowly opened his eyes. Kili was standing above him, an I-saw-through-your-plan look on his face.

"You got me." Fili sighed.

"Did you find a fish?."  
>"What does it look like?"<p>

"You disappoint me."

"Right." Fili stood up. "We should go to a more shallow section of the river."

"Okay."

They walked up the river until they came to a considerably calmer part, and Fili waded in. He could see a few fish here and there, though he had no idea if they were edible. "Okay. Here goes."

"Stop stalling."

"Leave me alone."

Fili tentatively waddled over to the first fish, which swum away. The second fish swum away too- just like the third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Somehow, Fili caught hold of one, and it's sharp scales cut at his hands as it thrashed about.

"Got one!"

"Congrats!"

"So... do I have to kill it?"

Kili's face paled slightly. "Oh... I forgot someone needed to kill it..."

"Come on Kee. What did you think was going to happen?"

"I just... oh." Kili hesitated. "Maybe... maybe you can make me honey cakes instead of fish."

"Don't tell me you're too afraid to kill a random fish." Fili smirked.

"He's not just a random fish..." A small smile broke out on Kili's face. "He is now your king, and he wants honey cakes too."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't kill him. Using the debt you owe me, I say that he is king, and you have to treat him like it."

Fili half considered 'accidentally' letting go and freeing the fish into the stream, but he thought better of it. "Fine. And what is his Majesty's name?" Fili asked the squirming fish he held in his hands. As expected, it didn't respond.

"His name is Kili Junior."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now- we must bring him back to the house."

"Do you really think mum will be all too happy to see... er... Kili Junior in the house?"

"Good point." Kili beckoned his brother over, and took the fish from his hands. It was gulping, desperately trying to find water. It didn't feel right taking it from the river, but Fili supposed he had to.

"He can't breathe, Kee."

"Right. Run to the house and find a bucket."

"Why me?"

"By order of the king!" Kili declared. Great. Now he was taking orders from a fish.

When Fili returned, he found Kili holding Kili Junior underwater. It couldn't be healthy for him- the fish, that was.

"I got a bucket!" He held the wooden bucket in the air.

"Great! Now fill it with water."

Fili obeyed, and dutifully filled the bucket with the water from the river.

"I suppose you want me to bring it over to you?"  
>"No need!" Fili looked up just as Kili flung the fish at him. It bounced softly off of Fili's wet shirt and into the bucket. For a second, it didn't move, and Fili thought he had just witnessed a murder, but then it began to swim around the bucket, scoping out it's new environment.<p>

"What was that for?"

"Convenience." Kili stated.

"Kili... no_._"

Kili rolled his eyes, and put a leaf in the water with Kili Junior. "He says he wants a nicer bucket."

"Well I'm sorry, but this was the first one I found."

"Save your excuses. I'm sure Kili Junior will find it in his heart to forgive you."  
>"I'm flattered." Fili deadpanned.<p>

"Excellent. Now- find some things to make his bucket nicer."

"And _then _have I repaid my debt?"

"Not quite."

"Fine."

Fili kicked at the forest floor, unearthing a few twigs and a rock.

"Here- do you think he wants a rock?"

"No. It's beneath him."

"Kili."

"He _is _the king, after all."

"He's a fish."

"Don't disrespect His Majesty!" declared Kili.

"What do you want me to get him, then?"

"A throne room fit for a king!"

Several minutes later, the magnificent throne room had been assembled. It consisted of a large reddish rock that Kili somehow thought superior to the original rock, some strands of moss and a few very nice twigs. Kili Junior didn't seem phased by his change in decor, but Kili was chuffed.

"He looks so happy!"  
>"I'm sure he does."<p>

"Now- as to the matter of food."

"For him or you?"

"Both of us!"

"Kili."

"By order of the king?"

Fili sighed. "Was it honey cakes you asked for?"

"But of course."

Fili rolled his eyes and turned to walk towards the house.

"Where are you going?"

"To make you honey cakes."

"You have to carry Kili Junior." Kili demanded.

There were many things that Fili would have liked to have done that afternoon, but carrying a bucket weighed down with water, rocks and a fish wasn't one of them. As he lugged the bucket up the hill, balancing so that it didn't spill, he called back to Kili, "So let me get this straight- if I make you and the fish-"

"The king."

"- honey cakes, I don't owe you anything any more?"

"Hmm... I guess so. But they better be good honey cakes."

"Yes sir." Fili grumbled.

It only occurred to Fili that he didn't actually know how to cook honey cakes when he put down the bucket. It was too late to back out- Kili had been babbling incessantly about how excited he was for the last minute or so. It wasn't as if Fili could ask Dis either- he doubted she'd be sympathetic to his situation.

He'd just have to improvise.

Flour- that would be a good way to start. Fili opened the cupboard to find flour- but there was so many different types... how did Dis manage to tell them apart? He settled on the jar of flour that was the fullest- by his logic, it would be least missed if he used a lot.

How much flour was in one honey cake? Maybe it was a cup per cake. If he needed a cake for Kili, the fish and him, that was three cups of flour. That seemed legitimate.

"Are they done yet?" Kili asked as Fili cracked three eggs into the concoction.

"Not yet." Three cups of milk- the bowl was almost full by now.

"Are you sure that's the recipe?" Kili wondered as he watched his brother hastily transfer spoonful after spoonful of sugar to the bowl.

"It most certainly is." He got out a spoon and stirred the mixture into a paste. "Do you doubt me?"

Kili stuck his finger into the batter, and when he pulled it out, the gluggy mixture stuck to his finger and stretched upwards. "Yeah- a little."

"So reassuring." Fili walked over to the fireplace, and using the rocks like his mother taught him to, sparked the logs lying there. Kili wandered over to the fire and began blowing at it habitually to make the flame grow. Soon enough, they had a toasty fire.

Fili doled out the mixture onto a stone slab and lowered it into the flames. There was a lot of mixture there.

"Fee... I think mum's back..."

It hadn't occurred to Fili that Dis was going to be returning. In all honesty, he wasn't even sure where she'd gone. But Kili was right- his mother was walking up to the house, with a not-so-pleased look on her face. She could probably see the smoke from the chimney, and using her common sense, realised that Kili + fire = trouble.

"Right... um..." As he spun around, he saw the disorder they had left the kitchen in. Flour everywhere, milk slopped all over the counter, egg shells on the floor and a fish king in a bucket on the table.

He was going to get up and do something about the mess when Dis burst in. It was evident from the look on her face that she was not impressed.

"Explain." She said simply.

"Is that all we get? No hello? No 'I've missed you my dearest children'?" asked Kili.

The glare she gave Kili was enough to silence him.

"You see..." Fili kicked at the floor, trying to think of where to begin. He heard his mother take a deep breath through her nose, as if sniffing the air.

"Something's burning!" Dis said, suddenly alarmed. She switched into over-protective mother mode and yanked her children away from the blazing fireplace. Over his shoulder, Fili saw his honey cakes, blackened and burnt in the flames. Dis looked around, and saw the bucket of water on the table. Before Kili could scream 'No!' Dis had thrown the contents of the bucket into the flame.

"YOU KILLED HIS MAJESTY!" Kili shrieked, pushing his mother aside to get to the charred logs. Luckily, Kili Junior had landed just short of the fire and was flopping around on the floor in a pool of water- not dead, just dehydrated.

"Kili, put the fish outside." Dis sighed, and opened the door for her son. It was strange, Fili thought, that she didn't even seem phased by this sort of behaviour any more.

Ashamedly, Kili scooped up the fish and began marching slowly outside. Once Kili had left, Dis reeled around to Fili and asked again- "Explain."

"Well... it all began when I borrowed Kili's hair clip."

"Uh huh."

"And then I caught the king and made him honey cakes."

"Right. Well." Dis began cleaning up the kitchen. "I'm sure Thorin's going to have a good old laugh when he hears this one."

Really? Was that it? No yelling, or being sent to his room? "Oh. Okay."

"Until then, feel free to help me clean up. Or, you know, you can wait patiently in your room until dinner."

Fili sighed. "Of course, mum."

**Hey guys!**

**Well... in all honesty, this fic went in so many directions that I had to struggle to keep it a somewhat acceptable length. That being said, it's still almost 3000 words. Oh well.**

**I'm sorry I haven't uploaded for so long- I've had a lot to do. Thanks to everyone for reviewing and reminding me to keep writing- you're all awesome. **

**Please keep reading and reviewing- it brings such a huge smile to my face to see that someone went to the trouble of writing about my fic to let me know they liked it. Hopefully, the Chronicles make you smile as much as your reviews make me smile. Anyways, thanks for waiting, and hopefully I'll write the next chapter a little faster. **

**Have a great Easter!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	38. The Hands

"I'm actually genuinely curious as to what made you think that was a good idea."

"Uh... I don't know... it just felt... right." Kili shrugged.

"Uh-huh. Well. I guess we know to never let you follow your instinct again, then."

"No fair. Mum said I had good instincts."

"I bet she'll change her mind when she sees this, then."

"Please don't tell on me, Fee." Kili pleaded.

It was a reasonable ask, but in all honesty, he wouldn't have to say anything. Unless Dis was blind, Fili was sure she'd notice that Kili had glued his hands together.

"Okay, I won't tell."

"Fili?"

"Yeah?"

"My hands hurt."

"Gee, I wonder why."

"Don't be mean." Kili pouted, and Fili laughed.

"Aww- why not? You've opened up so many comedic possibilities for me."

"Can you just help me out here? I can't go around with my hands stuck together forever. I'd never be able to hug anyone again."

Fili felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of him. Most dwarves would've worried about not being able to wield a sword, but Kili was worried about giving hugs.

"I'll tell you what- I'll help you get your hands unstuck, and then you can give me a big hug."

"Really?"

"Of course! Now, let's get your hands free!"

Kili walked over to the craft on the table, smiling brightly, with his brother behind him. There was paper strewn about, some with shapes cut out here and there. The small blade Kili had been using to cut the paper was resting atop a pile of paper waste. There was ink of all the colours of the rainbow, and paint, and a precious crayon or two. Kili had been rooting around the house all day trying to find craft supplies as exciting as these. On the largest pieces of paper, there were drawings- of Kili, of Thorin, of Dis, and Fili too, all doing a manner of heroic acts. The drawings were okay, after the lessons that they had had with Ori, but in Kili's excitement about the different media, it was all a bit of a mess- not that Fili minded, of course. Here and there, there were colourful pop-up shapes and pictures, stuck securely on by a thick white paste.

This paste was, of course, the same glue binding Kili's hands together. Dis had bought it from the markets that morning, and Kili had used it liberally all over his artworks. And his hands, so it seemed.

"How did you even manage this?" Fili asked, picking up the spoon Kili had used to apply the glue and playing around with the mixture.

"I put some on my hand, and then clapped my hands together."

"But... you did this intentionally?"

"I didn't know it would stick!"

"What did you think would happen?"

"I don't know. Something exciting."

"Is this exciting enough for you?"

"Kinda..." Kili looked down at his hands. They were stuck so it looked like he was clapping... or praying... or pointing at something...

Whatever it looked like, he would rather _not _stay like this. How was he supposed to do anything?

"Fee, can you help me get unstuck?"

"Well, I'll try, but you've certainly gotten yourself..." Fili chuckled a little, "... into a _sticky _situation!"

"Ha ha, very funny."

"You've gotta admit- that was good."

"Umm... sure. Just help me out here."

"One more!"

Kili rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"I've got to say- I'm liking the whole praying hands thing. In fact, I think I've grown quite _attached _to it! Geddit? Because your hands are attached together?"

"Hilarious. Can you fix me now?"

"Alright. Hold still." Fili grabbed Kili's arms, one in each hand, and pulled them apart as hard as he could.

"Ah- ahh- OW, FEE!" Kili yelped. His hands weren't budging.

"We're going to need a solvent." Fili decided.

"A what?"

"Something to dissolve the glue." He explained.

"To _what now?" _Kili said, eyes widening. "You're going to dissolve the glue?"  
>"Yeah..."<p>

"The glue is all over my hands! You're going to dissolve my hands!"

"Calm down, it won't hurt you." Fili assured his brother.

"Really?" Kili waddled over to Fili and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, really. I think." Fili patted his brother on the head, then gathered a length of rope.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting a leash ready."

"What?"

"Well, seeing as we don't have any solvent around here, plus I don't know how to make it, we're going to have to find someone who does."

"But why do we need a leash."

"Well, I can't exactly hold your hand anymore..." Fili gestured to the gluey mess.

"I am **not **wearing a leash into town."

"But you might get lost!"

"I'm eight years old!"

"I'm not taking any risks."

"Come on, Fee."

"Do you want to get unstuck or not?" Fili asked, raising the rope loop he had fashioned. Kili sighed, and, grumbling, walked over so Fili could tighten the loop around his waist. Fili fastened the rope, and examined his work. He was now able to tug Kili along with him- and it wasn't as if he could untie himself either, seeing as his hands were stuck.

"Let's just go already." Kili snapped.

"Just a second- I'm admiring my _hand_-y work!" He laughed to himself again.

Kili sighed and walked out of the door, yanking along an unsuspecting Fili, who had been laughing so hard at his own joke that he had forgotten to let go of the rope.

* * *

><p>"Right. Shall we try Mister Bofur's shop? Surely he'd have solvent in a toy shop." Kili reasoned as he walked along, Fili still in tow.<p>

"Yeah- solvent would be a good thing for him to have _on hand_," Fili cracked up again. "I don't know where these puns are coming from, but I like it."

"This is serious, Fee. Why do you find it so funny?" Kili turned around accusingly. His scowl met Fili's smile, and before long, Kili was smiling too. "Okay, they're not all that bad, but still!" Kili laughed. "This is no laughing matter!"

"You hypocrite! You're laughing too! Don't deny it- I caught you _red-handed!"_

"That's enough, Fee. To Mister Bofur's!"

"Yeah- surely, we'll be in safe _hands _then!"

Unluckily, Kili didn't get to hear that last pun. He was already racing off into town, hands pointed, like an arrow, towards his destination. Yet again, Fili was still holding the rope, trying to keep up with the determination of his brother.

* * *

><p>"Slow down, boys! Where are you two off to?" Bofur exclaimed as Kili ran straight into him.<p>

"Mister Bofur! Sir! Kili needs a solvent!"

"For what? What did you boys do?" Bofur looked down at Kili, suspicion having already crept up on him. Kili sheepishly raised his hands.

"Good lord. What kind of glue did you use? That is some industrial strength glue. Where did you get it? I need glue like that." Bofur began examining Kili's hands, when a smile dawned on his face. "This here is some fine _hand_-y work!"

"I already made that pun." Fili said smugly. Kili just rolled his eyes again.

"Oh. Okay." said Bofur dejectedly. "Step inside then, and I'll give you a _hand_!"

Fili cracked up again, laughing until his eyes watered. He knew it wasn't exactly polite to make fun of Kili's current predicament, but he may as well make light of the situation. It's what Kili would have done, anyways.

"So, what was it you needed? Ah. Solvent. Yes, I should have some, but I'm warning you, it was built for wooden toys, not little dwarven hands." Bofur began fumbling around on his shelves, muttering to himself about where he would have put it. That little statement wasn't very comforting, to say the least.

"I'm kinda scared, Fee."

"Well, I would hold your hand, but... you know..."

"It's not funny, Fee, it was an honest mistake!"

"I'm still not sure what else you thought applying glue to your hands would do."

"Leave me alone, okay? Thank you for helping me- I appreciate it, I really do- but you're not being very nice." Kili snapped. Fili could hear the sincerity in his tone, but something made him want to keep on going. He guessed it was because he could never imagine gluing his hands together, and so he couldn't empathise. Nevertheless, he did feel bad for his brother. With a sigh, he decided to apologise.

"Look, Kee, I-"

"Looky here! A nice pot of solvent!" Bofur interrupted. He was standing on a stool, reaching for the highest shelf. "Fili, will you come over here so I can _hand _this down to you?"

Fili hated himself for laughing. He saw the discontent on Kili's face and he tried to suppress the chuckle, he really did, but Bofur's general demeanor made all of his jokes funny, no matter how badly timed.

He took the pot from Bofur, and put it down next to Kili, who refused to make eye contact with him.

"Kee?"

"I just wanna get unstuck."

"Okay, laddie. Give us your hands, then."

Kili stretched out his hands, and let Bofur begin basting them with the solvent. It was thin, and watery, but intimidating nonetheless. Fili could sense his brother's unease, and he really wanted to apologise, but he could see Bofur needed to concentrate. One wrong move could be slightly painful for Kili.

Kili kept wincing and flinching with each dollop of the stuff.

"Now now, it's almost done. Then everything will be back to normal." Bofur said comfortingly.

"Will Fili be nice to me again?"

"What?" Bofur was caught off guard.

"Will Fili stop making jokes about me if my hands are back to normal?"

"Kee, I'm not making fun of you."

"Yes you are! You keep making hand jokes. It's not funny anymore!"

"But you always make jokes about me! Can't I have a go?"

"It's not funny when the jokes are about _me." _

"Why can't you boys learn to take a joke?" Bofur said, tending to Kili's hands.

"What?" The brothers said in unison.

"Stop taking it all so seriously! Trust me- I've made plenty of jokes in my lifetime, but I've also been the subject of plenty too. The trick is, don't pay attention to the not-so-nice stuff. Just laugh along with it. Make your own jokes. Have a little fun."

"I was just having a play around, Kee. I'm sorry." Fili apologised.

"That's okay." Kili began to smile a little. "I guess it all just got out of... _hand!"_

Bofur roared with laughter. "That's the spirit, laddie! There's a lesson your uncle won't teach you!"

"Ha- imagine Thorin making jokes!" Fili laughed. Kili began giggling too, and before he knew it, he had pulled his hands apart. He hadn't felt any pain or anything- he had been too distracted by laughter.

"That's a good lad- don't forget to have a little fun sometimes." Bofur patted Kili on the back. Kili looked at his hands- his palms were all pale and wrinkly from the glue, but they were finally free!

Fili smiled at his brother. Maybe Bofur was right- they both needed to learn to take a joke better.

"Oh!" Kili remembered, and ran over to Fili.

"Wha-"

Fili wasn't able to finish speaking- Kili had wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Ah- much better."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys!<strong>

**So- how was everyone's Easter?**

**I'm sorry I haven't written in a few weeks- I was doing something else and forgot to write.**

**Oh- and I'm writing another story (not fic related) and the last 12-ish pages got deleted, so I've been rewriting that. **

**But I'm back now, so that's all well and good.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it- I found it rather ****_punny _****if you ask me. *laughs to self***

**Anyways, thank you so much for the reviewing! Guess what? 91 reviews! Wouldn't it be nice to reach triple digits? *sighs dreamily***

**I'd like to also thank a guest called Nuka and user Shade Slayer Princess 111 (without the spaces) for reviewing so many of my chapters! You guys are awesome!**

**Have a great day!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth :)**


	39. The Proof

The fire was getting closer, but it never occurred to Kili to put it out. He was too entranced by the curling flames to notice the danger he was in.

He watched as the bright red tongues engulfed the edge of the carpet, crawling their way towards him. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but stare. He could see the wax pooling on the floor from where he knocked the candle over, and the scorch marks from where the fire first hit the floor.

It was getting warmer, and Kili was beginning to freak out, but he still couldn't move.

_Where was Fili? Where was Thorin? Where was Dis? _

_WHERE WAS FILI?_

"Uh... Fili?" He called, even though he knew his brother was out of earshot. It was all he could think to do.

* * *

><p>Fili bent down to pick a berry, but something made him hesitate.<p>

"Fili? What's wrong?" Dis asked, putting her berries in a basket.

"Something's wrong. Wrong at home. Kili." He dropped his basket. "Kili's in trouble."

And with that, he ran up the hill, back to the house.

"Dis? Where's Fili going?" Thorin ducked his head up from the berry bush.

"He says Kili's in trouble." She put down her basket. "Do you think he's right?"

Thorin discarded his berry picking equipment and began to run after his nephew. "Has he ever been wrong about this sort of thing?"

When Dis saw the flaring orange in the window, she knew Fili was right. Was that fire?

* * *

><p>Kili pulled himself together enough to shuffle away from the approaching flames.<p>

"Uh... FILIIII!"

He began pulling himself off of the floor using the table, away from the heat. He could hear shouting outside- was that his family?

Part of him wanted them to rush in, to whisk him away and rescue him, but part of him knew that Dis would react badly. The whole reason he wasn't berry picking with the rest of his family was because last time he put nightshade berries in with the blueberries by accident. It wasn't his fault- he just wasn't great at distinguishing berries from one another. At least Dis had noticed them before anyone had eaten them...

But this time was supposed to be different. This time, Kili was supposed to have been responsible and done something right. But instead, he knocked over the candle and set the room on fire.

Great.

"Kili! Kili, I'm coming!"

"Fili!" Kili heard his brother's voice, and tried to run to the window, or the door, or anything that could get him out of the house and to safety.

The room was beginning to fill with smoke, and breathing was getting harder, and soon everything began spinning.

"Fil..." Kili began coughing too hard to speak. "Fee.."

The smoke was filling him up like he was a balloon, about to burst. He could feel the heat of the fire all around him, and his vision was blotting.

He saw Fili burst through the door just as he dropped to the floor, unable to stand up any longer.

* * *

><p>"I leave you for <em>ten minutes <em>and I return to the house on fire?" Dis ran a hand through her hair, and Kili noticed grey streaks.

"Let him be, Dis- it wasn't his fault that he knocked over that candle." Thorin placed a hand on Kili's shoulder, staring at his sister.

"Are you- are you _siding with Kili? _Aren't you sick of all these mistakes he's making?"

"It's not my fault, okay! I didn't mean to knock over the candle!" Kili yelped, coughing a little.

"I know you don't do these things intentionally, Kee," Dis' expression softened a little, and she stretched out her arms and embraced her son. "It's just that you're putting people in danger when you mess things up. I'm not blaming you, I'm just saying that we can't afford any more accidents, okay?"

Kili nodded, but didn't say anything. He didn't feel like it.

He would never hurt his family intentionally- he thought they knew that- but for some reason, he was accident prone. His mind would just wander off, and before he knew it, things had gone missing, or he had broken something, or almost killed everyone. The fire was probably the most serious mistake he'd made so far, and it scared him to see the damage he'd caused- the burnt carpet, the scorched floor, the smoke-stained roof and the ashes of a book that had caught alight.

"It'll be okay, Kee- it was just an accident." Fili squeezed his hand, smiling encouragingly. He seemed to be the only one that understood that it was possible to have the best aim in the town, and yet be clumsy at the same time. Thorin sympathized, sure, but in doing so he made Kili feel even worse.

He wasn't a clumsy fool. He wasn't accident-prone. He was an agile warrior.

He would just have to prove it.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to do this?"<p>

"Are you sure you want to stand in front of the target?"

Fili moved away from Kili's tree-stump that he had painted with a big red dot- his target. "This seems unsafe."

"If I can prove I'm not clumsy, maybe I'll stop putting everyone in danger." Kili shrugged. "So really, this will make everyone safer. Now- help me put the blindfold on."

"For the last time- that's not how things work. If you-"

"I don't care- just help me out. Please?"

Fili rolled his eyes, and begrudgingly began to tie the piece of cloth around his little brother's head. "Are you sure you don't want to use your bow? At least you're comfortable with it."

"Then I'm not proving anything, am I?"

"You don't have to prove anything. Mum knows you're a warrior already."

Kili turned his blindfolded head to Fili. "Look me in the eyes and say that again."

Fili stared at the cloth concealing Kili's eyes. "Um... you _do _know that I can't see your eyes."

"So?"

"I can't look you in the eye."

"That's what I thought." Kili turned back around in the direction of the stump. It took Fili a moment to process what had just been said.

"Wait-"  
>"Too late!" Kili raised the throwing-knife and hurtled it at the target. Fili could hear the <em>whoosh <em>as it flew through the air, turning over and over, before finally hitting the target.

Kili lifted up the corner of his blindfold, enough so that he was able to peek out.

"Bullseye."

* * *

><p>"Kili, wait-"<p>

"What's the point waiting?" Kili asked. "You've already seen that I'm not clumsy- I hit a target with a throwing-knife, _blindfolded!"_

"That doesn't mean you're not able to make any mistakes." Fili stood in front of him, blocking his way back into the house.

"Fee, move- I want to show mum that I'm not clumsy."

"She knows that you're not clumsy."

"Do you really believe that?" Kili raised his eyebrows. Fili didn't reply. "That makes two of us."

"There are other ways of showing her that you're a good fighter. Maybe you could fight me! Yeah- fight me, Kee!" Fili got caught up in his enthusiasm and punched his brother in the stomach.

"Ouch." Kili scowled at him.

Fili sighed, and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to hit you. It's just- you're trying to prove to mum that you're not dangerous, and you think that this is the best way of doing that?"

"There's no other way she'll change her mind, Fee- you know that."

Kili was right. Fili realised that. But he still couldn't see Kili's plan working.

"Kee, even if you _do _pull this off without killing anyone, she'll still think you're unstable for doing something like this."

"I've got nothing to lose, Fili. Now let me in!"

"Nothing to lose? You could potentially kill your own mother here!" Fili yelled, resisting his brother as he tried to go into the house.

Kili gave one last push, with all his might, and knocked Fili over.

"Hey- mum!"

Dis looked up from her darning. "Kili? Where did you get that knife? I thought I locked the weapons chest."

"You don't trust me! You think I'm dangerous to have around. You do, don't you?"

Dis looked taken aback. "Kili, I-"

"Don't deny it!"

"You're just a little... accident prone, is all." Dis stammered. "Put down the knife, Kili."

"I'm going to prove to you that I'm not clumsy, or accident-prone. I'm going to prove you wrong!" Kili yelled, and began to lower his blindfold over his eyes.

"Uh... Thorin?" Dis began to push her chair towards the wall.

Kili raised his knife.

"THORIN!"

"What's wrong?" He called from somewhere else within the house.

"Your nephew is trying to kill me!"

Fili propped himself up off the floor. "Actually, he's trying _not _to kill you."

"Shut up, Fili, and fix your brother!" Dis shrieked.

"I'm not broken!" yelled Kili, and he threw the knife at Dis.

She screamed just as Thorin ran in, breathing heavily. Fili winced and closed his eyes- he couldn't watch.

When he opened them again, Dis was cowering below a knife sticking out of the wall, quivering, as Thorin ran over to her.

Kili stood there, blindfolded but confidant in his result.

"Kili... you could have _killed me..." _Dis shivered, fumbling for words.

"I could've." Kili admitted, taking his blindfold off. "But I didn't."

"That was very dangerous, young man- you'll be luck if I ever let you out of this house unattended ever again!" Dis shakily stood up, her voice rising in anger.

Fili could see his brother's confidence ebb. "But mum-"

"But nothing! If you thought that was a way of proving that I should trust you, you could not be more mistaken!"

"Lay off him, Dis."

Everybody turned to Thorin, whose grim expression was obviously trying to hide a smile.

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you angry at him? He didn't hurt anyone."

Lost for words, Dis gestured dramatically at the knife still stuck in the wall.

"The wall has suffered worse than that- you and I both know that." He winked mischievously. Dis fumed.

"Give him a rest, Dis. Besides- you should be proud of him. Not even some of the most skilled warriors I know could have pulled that off, let alone pulled it off _blindfolded.I"_

"Great. He's got good aim. I'll just let that excuse him from trying to kill me!"

Thorin shot Kili an 'I-tried' look, but didn't anything else.

It was Fili who broke the awkward silence. "He wouldn't have done it if you hadn't him that he was clumsy."

"But he is!" Dis cried, exasperated.

Thorin plucked the knife out of the wall. "Is he?"

Kili piped up. "I'm sorry that I almost killed you, but I did it so i could prove you wrong."

Those last few words seemed to resonate with Dis.

"You did it so you could prove me wrong?"

Kili nodded.

She sighed, and smiled a little. "You act more and more like your father every day."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello world! I'm back!<strong>

**I'm sorry for the huge delay in between chapters- I barely made it through the assessment period, and on top of that I have been writing my own stories and entering competitions and the like.**

**(It's basically a long way of saying I'm very sorry that I've taken so long to update)**

**I hope you like this chapter more than you liked the last one- I'm going to assume that all of the puns were a bit off-putting seeing as no one reviewed... Either that or my creativity is drying up. **

**Alas, I think I'm going to have to end this fic in the near future- it's kind of long...**

**Until then, however, I'm going to try and update more regularly :)**

**If you have any chapter suggestions, please let me know in the review section**

**Also if you just feel like reviewing, feel free**

**Thank you so much for sticking around for so long- I just hope you're all still interested in this!**

**Have a wonderful day**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	40. The Dream (3)

Dis stood up, and brushed the sand off her apron.

Wait- sand? How was there sand in her bed? More importantly, why was she wearing her apron to sleep?

Something was wrong. She looked around, trying to carefully take in her surroundings. it was dark, and shifting, so her eyes couldn't focus properly.

"Uh... Thorin? Fili? Kili? Hello?" She called out into the void, not really expecting a response. She kicked at the sand on the floor, trying to figure out where she was. It wasn't much like regular sand- too grey and metallic. It glinted when it moved, catching whatever light it could find.

_Light._

Dis spun around, searching for wherever the light was coming from, but she couldn't see anything. She looked back at the sand, and realised there was a slight depression in the middle of the pile. The sand was sinking. She kicked it away, creating a hole, to reveal the source of light hidden beneath the sand- a tiny pinpoint that the sand had been trickling through. When she touched it, she realised the floor was as thin as paper, and, not wishing to remain any longer in the confusing place, tore it away. As she tore, sand began falling through the hole and the light grew. Before long, there was a steady stream of glittering sand into the large gap.

Dis took a deep breath, and jumped.

It felt like ages of falling before Dis was able to begin seeing shapes. A forest came into focus, with trees and birds and-

And laughter. She looked down, to see four dwarves playing in a pond. Two adults, and two children. The smallest one was giggling away, barely older than a baby, and the other looked to be about 5. The bigger child, the blond one, looked up at her.

"Jump, mummy, jump!" He laughed, and splashed about. The other child clapped his hands.

The two adults looked up now. Dis' eyes met those of the first one- those startlingly blue eyes- but when she looked at the second adult, her stomach flipped.

It was him.

He looked just as she remembered him- coal-black eyes, caramel coloured hair and a perfect smile. His beard was long, but kept unbraided. She could see his battle scars along his arms, only now beginning to fade.

"Are you jumping or not?" He called up to her.

She realised that she had stopped falling, but the sand continued to trickle down- down into the pond...

With a start, it occurred to her that her feet were wet, and that she sand had melted into water. She stood atop the waterfall, looking down at her family playing in the pond.

She could remember this day. it was one of the happiest days of her life.

"Look out!" She called with a smile, and she jumped, letting her troubles fade behind her, and let herself enjoy her memory.

The water erupted around her as she landed, enveloping her in warmth and comfort. She paddled upwards, breaking the surface of the water, to see her family smiling back. Young Fili and baby Kili were playing in the shallows, as they couldn't swim yet, but her brother and husband were wading out to where she had landed.

Despite the fact that she knew it wasn't real, and that it was all just an illusion, when her husband took her hand she pulled herself into him, embracing him as if there was no tomorrow.

He was there- surely he was- and Dis would never let go. She found herself on the verge of tears. This hug- Dis had craved it, yearned to have it ever since that day- that terrible day...

"Dis! Dis!"

She opened her eyes, and realised that he was gone, and so was the water. The sky had darkened, and the environment was changing- but her sons were still there.

"Dis!" The voice called again, and she realised it was Thorin's. Where was he? A door formed in front of her, with her brother obviously on the other side.

Fili and Kili toddled behind her, happy to hear their Uncle's voice, but something filled Dis with dread. Something told her not to open the door.

"Dis!" Thorin called again, and, with a wrench in her gut, she opened it.

He looked at her sorrowfully, and just that made Dis' knees buckle.

_No- no, not again._

Thorin had blood matted in his hair, and his armour was torn and dirty. The boys went to hug him, and he gave them a half-smile, but he couldn't hide his sorrow.

The world had formed again, and Dis found herself in their house.

_Not this memory. Please, no._

"Thorin-" She began. A rush of emotions hit her- she hadn't seen her brother for months- but she knew what was coming next.

"Dis, your husband... he fell..."

She could remember it perfectly. The little voice crack at the end of Thorin's sentence. The gasp from Fili, who was the only one who understood. She remembered the searing pain of the tears in her eyes and the urge to vomit or cry her heart out.

She had heard those words over and over in her head, every night for months.

Dis turned away, not wanting to look at Thorin's melancholy eyes for a second more. She rushed to the kitchen door so she could escape to her bedroom and lie in her bed and cry, but when she opened the door, a new scene appeared.

The room was red, and that alone set her on edge. She could hear chattering, nervous speech, and demonic laughter.

The voices were coming from a corner, and she could see three figures- two that she recognised immediately.

The third was hunched over, cowering before them, wincing every time the whip fell.

The whip.

"Fili, no!" She called, running to intervene. "What are you doing? Stop!"

Fili looked up, his eyes the same red as the walls. "Isn't this what you want, mother?"

"No! Stop hurting him!" Dis tried to pull the whip from Fili's hands, but it was no use. Fili was too strong.

Kili walked over, his face bland and expressionless, and picked Dis up. It was as simple as that- he plucked her off the ground and put her down elsewhere.

_These aren't my sons, _she told herself. But even she was having trouble believing it.

The dwarf on the ground cried in agony. "Help me, kind lady, help me!"

Her whole body trembled. She looked back at her sons, her extra muscular and demonic sons, and shook her head. "I can't."

"Please!"

Dis recognised that voice. She looked back at the figure on the ground.

_Kili._

It was him- the nine year old son that she knew and loved, bent over in submission as Fili continued to whip him.

As she watched, the older Kili morphed into the stranger who had previously been on the ground.

"Fili, stop! That's your brother!"

Fili looked back at her with his blood-red eyes. "He is no brother of mine."

Dis stepped back, edging away from the horror. She couldn't bear to watch, to intervene, and she hated herself for it.

Suddenly, everything started melting away, and she was somewhere else. A woman stood in the middle of the room- a human woman, much taller than Dis. She had electric blue hair, and a dazzling smile.

"Who are you?" Dis asked.

The woman stepped forward, and rested her hands on Dis's shoulder. She turned Dis around, and Dis gasped.

There he was again.

His battle scars were missing, and his smile was even wider.

"Dis."

She was speechless, and ran over to him. He embraced her, but this time, she could feel him next to her, feel his skin on hers.

"I don't want to lose you again."

"You'll never lose me, Dis." He looked down at her, smiling. It dawned on Dis that this wasn't a memory.

"You died." She let the cold words roll off her tongue. "You left me with our sons."

He teared up, making Dis begin to cry too. "I never wanted to leave you. The whole battle, I fought for you. You and our sons."

"I've missed you," she admitted.

"I've missed you too." He mumbled. "I love you so much. I never want you to forget that."

Dis collapsed into a pile of tears, sobbing violently. "I won't. I promise."

"Take care of our boys, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Dis had forgotten that the woman with the blue hair was still there. She heard her begin to sing- music unlike Dis had ever heard.

"In another life, I would be your girl."

Dis smiled. "I'd be your girl in any life- you know that, right?"

"I do." He hugged her tighter, held her closer.

The woman kept singing. "We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world."

"When I wake up, will you be gone?" Dis asked, sniffling.

"You won't be able to see me, no, but that doesn't mean I'm gone." He said, and for a moment, Dis felt angry at him- why couldn't he stay? Why did he have to leave her? _Again?_

"In another life, I would make you stay," the woman sung.

"I want you to stay." Dis confessed.

"Why?" He asked, and Dis didn't know how to answer.

"So I won't have to say you were the one that got away, the one that got away." She sung.

Dis nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"I'll never really leave you, Dis. Take care of everyone for me- I'll love you, forever."

And the world spiraled into a haze of white.

* * *

><p>"Mum? Mum- why are you crying?" Dis was shaken awake by her sons, kneeling in bed next to her.<p>

"I- I'm not crying," she said, but when she put her hand to her eyes, they were wet.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Kili asked, and when he smiled, all Dis could see was her husband's smile.

"No." Dis shook her head, and hugged her sons. "No I didn't."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello all!<strong>

**So- I told you I'd have the next chapter up quickly.**

**Just so you know, I couldn't find any information ****_anywhere _****on Fili's and Kili's father. I kind of guessed that he had caramel hair (because if Dis looks like Thorin, then where did Fili's hair come from?) and brown eyes (following the same logic- where would have Kili's brown eyes come from?).**

**Yet again, this is a detail based off of the movies, because that's where most of my physical description information comes from.**

**I hope you enjoyed this- thanks to user Paddfoot the Dog for their review ages ago that asked me to write a Dis dream (and I can promise that a Thorin dream will come up in the future).**

**Also, thanks to Tari Oronra, Charlotte of Sandydowns and Shade Slayer Princess 111 for their recent reviews- it means the world to me to see your comments!**

**I hope you all have a wonderful day, wherever you are in the world!**

**- Love from the Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	41. The Well

There was a legend about the well in the garden. It wasn't a very big well, nor a very scary one, yet it scared Kili witless being around it.

Why Fili wanted to 'check it out' was lost on him.

He wasn't going to let his brother go alone- of course he wasn't- and so it was with reluctance that Kili found himself peering over the edge of the well in the garden. It wasn't _their_ garden, but instead a garden shared by the town, where people would come to plant flower and picnic. And, supposedly, draw water- a long time ago, that is.

"It's kinda dark," Kili pointed out. Fili picked up a rock and dropped it, and the brother waited in nervous silence for the gentle 'plop' of it hitting the water.

Neither heard anything.

"Uh... are you sure we should be here?" Kili asked, looking around. The sky was grey, and a wind was rippling through the air. It seemed as if something foreboding was going to happen.

And Kili didn't want to wait around until it did.

He pulled on Fili's sleeve. "Let's go, Fee."  
>"Wait- are you <em>scared<em>? _You_? Of all people?"

"I'm not scared, I'm concerned," muttered Kili.

Fili laughed dryly. "Ha! Since when?"

"Okay, I'm not concerned, I'm... cold."

"Cold?"

"Yes."

"Kee, it's the middle of summer."

"Yes."

"How are you even the slightest bit cold?"

"I just am. See? I have goosebumps!"

It was true- Kili did indeed have goosebumps all up his arms, but it wasn't from cold. Fili smiled gently, and sat on the crumbling edge of the well.

"You're afraid- don't deny it- but there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes there is. The boys in town told me." Kili snapped.

"Oh? Did they?" Fili raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, they did. They said that there was a dragon that lived down in that well, and that if you got too close it'd eat you up and kill everyone."

"And you believed that?"

"I'm not an idiot, Fee."

Fili smiled with relief.

"Of course I believed it."

The smile dropped from Fili's face. 'What do you mean, 'of course I believed it'? How does any of that make sense?"

Kili rolled his eyes. "Think, Fee! Why else would nobody use this well for so long?"

"There's no water? There _is _water, but it's old and gross? An animal fell in and died? The bucket is broken? We got a better well?"

"Or, there's a dragon down there waiting to kill all of us and our loved ones?"

"How would a dragon even fit down there?" Fili glanced over his shoulder at the tiny well.

"It could be a small dragon."

"How could such a small dragon kill everyone in town?"

"Well, _I'm_ small, but ma has told _me_ several times that I could have killed everybody."

"That's different- you were handling explosives, and besides, it was _one time-"_

"My point is, Fee, that we shouldn't be here."

Something about Kili's tone made Fili stop. There was something there- something vulnerable, something that made Fili think. Was Kili actually afraid?

"Come on, Kee- you're a dwarven warrior. Surely you're not afraid of a _fake _dragon?"

"I'm _not _afraid, I'm _not! _" Kili protested.

Fili shook his head. "This just won't do, Kili. Come on. I'll teach you how to be braver."

A warm wind blew through the trees, whistling as it rustled the leaves. The old well creaked slowly, as if coming to life. The dwarfling's hair got caught in the breeze, whipping about their faces and tangling their already knotty locks.

"Me? Be braver?" Kili mumbled, looking at his feet. "I am brave."

"Of course you are," Fili nodded, "I'm just going to teach you to be brave-_r."_

"And how are you going to do that? By reading to me? By teaching me to write?" Kili sneered, obviously still hurt that his brother thought of him as scared.

Fili sighed. "No, I'm going to prove to you that there's nothing in this well, and you're going to help me."

And with that, Fili picked up a stick and began walking towards the well again.

"But Fee, I don't want to! I don't want to disturb whatever's down there! Please!" Kili tried to stop him, but it wasn't working. Sure, Kili had grown, and was now only a little bit shorter than Fili, but he still wasn't stronger than his brother.

"You needn't be afraid! There's nothing to be afraid of!" Fili wrestled his brother off of him, and prodded the wall of the well with the stick. A brick dislodged, and Fili went to pick it up, but not before-

Kili barreled into his brother, tackling him to the ground. "Stop! Please!"

"What's gotten into you, Kili?" Fili tried to stand up, but somehow, Kili had pinned him down. "It's just a bit of fun. I thought you were always up for fun!"

"I know- I am- but... what if there _is _something down there? What do we do?"

"We fight it, of course."

"But we're not warriors. We don't know how to fight."

"Then I guess we'll just have to practice, won't we?"

Fili rolled over, freeing himself from Kili's grip, and stood up. He tossed Kili another stick, and then held his to his brother's face.

"I challenge you to a duel."

Kili smirked. "Challenge accepted."

It was Kili who struck first, despite still being kneeling on the ground. He aimed a blow at Fili's knees, and hit him square on the kneecaps. Fili winced, and struck back, swooping his stick at Kili's head but missing at the last second. Kili stood up, dusting himself off as he met Fili's second strike with his own. They parried, strike for strike, chasing each other around the garden. When Kili hid behind a rosemary bush, Fili uprooted the plant in an attempt to get at his brother. When Fili jumped behind a row of petunias, Kili trampled them with his feet to keep up. They tore through the garden like hurricanes, destroying everything in their paths.

Not once was Fili apprehensive about all the damage.

Not once was Kili scared of the well.

They lost themselves in their own world, where sticks were swords and gardens were battlegrounds. Whilst they dueled, several people walked past, but none thought to intervene. All the passers by saw was two happy little dwarflings, giggling as they played.

When his energy was spent, Fili collapsed to the ground, his soft blond hair mingling with the grass. He laughed softly, giggles shaking his body. Kili, too, joined him on the ground, rolling over to smile at his brother with his big brown eyes.

"I win," said Kili.

"I know," said Fili.

They stayed like that for a while, just smiling together, because neither wanted to do anything else. As the sky grew darker, however, Fili got up.

"Come on- let's fight this dragon before the day is done."

Kili sat up. "Uh... Fee? I don't want to."

"Why not? You've nothing to be afraid of- you beat me, remember? You're the sword-fighting champion!"

"I just... don't think it's a good idea." Kili shrugged.

"Come on. You're a dwarven warrior! You-"

"Maybe... maybe I don't have to slay a dragon to be a warrior."

Fili froze. Kili continued.

"Maybe warriors don't always have to fight stuff. Maybe, warriors can learn to let things go. Maybe... just maybe... I can be brave, but still be afraid of something."

A smile began to bud on Fili's face. "Brave doesn't mean fearless," he muttered.

"Yeah. I bet Thorin is afraid of something. I bet he's afraid of a lot of things. In fact- he's afraid of frogs, isn't he?"

Fili nodded, his smile growing.

"But Thorin's still the bravest dwarf I know! He's braver than any warrior! Braver than any dragon, too!"

Kili stood up, brushing off his trousers. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry that I'm not as brave as you, Fee. I'll fight the dragon some other day." He turned away, and began walking home.

"Woah- who said you weren't as brave as me?" Fili caught up to him. "In fact, I'd wager you're braver! You know why? Because you were brave enough to admit you're afraid."

"Are you afraid, Fee?"

"Of the dragon?"

"Of anything."

Fili paused. "I'm afraid of losing you."

"I'm afraid of that too."

"Then I guess we'll just have to stick together."

The Durin brothers never found out what was down the well. There could very well have been a dragon, or a monster, or some terrifying creature. There could very well have been nothing.

But the funny thing was, neither brother felt curious about it again. Kili still didn't like going near it, and Fili never asked him to again.

All was _well_.

**Hi guys!**

**So... long time, no see! (more like long time, no read)**

**I'm so very sorry for not updating for so long! It's been like what... a few months? Who knows. **

**So yeah. Sorry for the break. I've just had other stuff on, and I haven't had time.**

**In fact, it wasn't until after watching the Hobbit for the seventeenth time a few nights ago that I was inspired to write this. **

**So- I hope you liked it, and I really promise I'll try to write faster! Let me know in the reviews if you want more kinda feelsy ones like this or more funny ones. I have absolutely no idea what's good and what's bad here.**

**Also, if you have any other fic ideas, please let me know because I'm kind of stumped.**

**Anyway- I hope you all have a great day!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth :)**


	42. The Picnic

**A/N: Inspired by Carver Edlund the Last's suggestion**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Over the years, Fili had been woken up in a multitude of interesting ways.

He'd been slapped, tickled, poked, prodded, yelled at, pushed off the bed and had even had a bucket of icy water dumped on him.

But this was new.

Something small dropped onto Fili's face. It pulled him from his dream, and bounced onto his pillow. And then-

Another-

And another-

And another.

Before Fili could even open his eyes, the small objects were piling up on his face. As he blinked and sat up, the objects spilled off of him.

A figure was standing at the side of his bed, an empty basket held upside down above it's head.

"Kee? Is that you?"

"Um... yes..." Kili whispered uncertainly.

"What are these?" Fili picked an object up. It was round, and cold and... squishy. "Are these blueberries?"

"Um... no..."

"Kili?"

"Alright, fine. They are."  
>"Why are you waking me up in the middle of the night by pouring blueberries on my face?"<p>

"It's the last day of summer!"

"Night," Fili corrected. "The last night."

"Right, well I think we should have a picnic!"

"To celebrate the beginning of Autumn? Tomorrow?" Fili asked hopefully, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"No! To celebrate Summer! Today!" Kili smiled unnaturally brightly for such a late hour.

"Today? Today is over, Kee! It's _tonight _now!"

"All the more reason to picnic!"

"That is no reason, whatsoever, to picnic!" Fili said, his voice rising from a whisper.

"Shh! Don't let ma or Uncle Thorin hear!"

"Wait- you didn't tell them? You mean you want me to come with you on a picnic, alone, in the middle of the night?"

Kili hesitated, registering what Fili had just asked.

"Yes."

"Are you serious? Is there any reason why I _should _go?"

"Because you're my brother, and you love me, and you want to support me and care for me and stand against the world with me?" Kili batted his eyelashes.

Fili stared blankly back at him.

Kili sighed, and raised a second basket. "Because I have food?"

Fili smirked.

"What are we waiting for?"

It was easy enough to sneak out. You'd think that a house that was home to the remaining dwarven royalty would be safely guarded, but the brothers were able to slip into the night unseen. They walked down the hill, into the forest, through the trees. The night greeted them with a gentle song- the hoots of owls, the snaps of twigs, the quiet bubbling of the stream. They settled down next to a pond, laying out their blanket and spreading out the food.

Apart from the blueberries they had regathered, Kili had brought two old apricots, a few pieces of ham, some flour, a jar of jam and a potato. Despite his meagre offerings, Kili seemed to be perfectly pleased with his collection, and grinned widely as Fili surveyed it.

"I thought you said you had food."

Kili looked hurt. "I do."

"Where is it?"

"You're looking at it."

"This is it? We're sneaking out to eat a few old apricots, blueberries we picked up from the floor, three measly chunks of ham, a cup of flour and some jam?"

"Don't forget the potato."

"Really, Kee? You couldn't have grabbed some cheese or something?"

Kili sat down, pursing his lips. "I looked for cheese, but we didn't have any."

Fili frowned. "Yes we do. Mum bought it this morning."

"Well, it wasn't there. Now- do you want to picnic with me or not?"

Fili considered leaving him there. Kili knew his way home well enough, and besides- if Fili made to leave, Kili would surely follow. There's no way he'd stay alone in the woods. All he had to was leave, and all of this would be over.

But looking at Kili's slightly hurt face melted his resolve.

"Of course I do, Kee."

Kili beamed, and it was like watching a flower bloom. Fili couldn't help but smile too. Sometimes, it seemed to be all the brothers did. But hey- what good was life without smiling?

"Would you like some ham?" offered Kili, holding up the meat. Fili took a piece and ate it, savouring the saltiness. It wasn't often he got to eat in his own time. All family meals usually involved scoffing as much food down as possible to avoid questioning. Dinnertime was usually Dis' favourite time for interrogation- she used the temptation of food to keep the boys around so she could find out about their latest antics. But now- no Dis. No questioning. Just food, the moon, his brother and-

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That!" Kili said again, pointing into the darkness before them.

"There's nothing there, Kee."

"Yes there is!"

Fili rolled his eyes, about to tell his brother that there was nothing, when-

_Whoosh..._

Something moved past them, quick but unseen. A soft crunching sound followed, like feet treading on foliage. Fili reached his hand back for Kili's, to find that Kili had reached for him too. They squeezed each other's hands, silently waiting for the unseen threat to pass. It was almost completely dark- with luck, they hadn't been seen.

When they couldn't hear anything any more, the brothers relaxed. Fili didn't notice he had been holding in his breath, but he was able to breathe out now.

"What was that?" Kili asked breathily, still scared to make noise.

Something hooted in the distance- an owl, most like.

Fili breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry- it was just an owl."

"But what about the footsteps?"

"We probably misheard them."

"Ha! You said 'we probably misheard them'- you heard footsteps too! You admitted it!"

Fili winced. "Kee, I didn't mean-"

"You did! There's someone out there, isn't there?"

"No! Of course not!" But Fili's confidence in that was dwindling as he spoke.

"We have to find out who it is!"

"Indeed!" Fili agreed before he registered what he said. "Or... we could stay here and eat. What do you say?"

"_I _say... I say we find whoever's out there!"

"How is that a good idea? At all?"

"Let's go!"

"Kee... wait.." Fili took his brother's sleeve, trying to stop him from running off. "What do you suppose we do? Chase them down?"

"Spy on them!"

"How will two of us stay hidden in the dark?"

"We'll separate!"

"We can't separate! What if we get in trouble?"

"Hmmm... we could have a signal?"

"But a signal could give us away!"

The owl hooted again.

"What if we were to hoot? Like an owl?"

"But there are owls all over the place, Kee!"

"What about... we hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl if we're in trouble."

"Okay. Fine. But there may not be anyone there, okay?"

"Okay, okay." Kili's eyes glinted devilishly. "But if there is, can we fight them?"

"What? No!"

Kili smirked, and scampered away into the darkness. Something told Fili that Kili's wouldn't listen to his advice.

And so Fili slunk away too, disappearing into the night.

At first, he didn't find anything. It gave him hope- maybe there _was _no one. Maybe they were just paranoid.

But then-

The unmistakable trill of laughter. Dwarvish laughter. He could tell from the gruffness of the voices. There were two- it sounded like a man and a woman.

The fact that they were laughing meant they weren't criminals- surely Kili would be safe, right?

Kili.

Where was he? Had he been caught?

He hoped not. It was his fault for not talking Kili out of it.

He crept closer, trying to hear more of the conversation.

"... it's just nice to get out, you know?"

"I know. I should really take more chances to escape. Those boys, you know?"

Fili froze. That exasperated tone. He knew it. He knew it well.

It was his mother.

What we she doing in the middle of the forest at night? Was she with Thorin?

"They're tiresome, sure, but it'll be worth it. They're good lads, Dis."

"I don't know, Thorin. They're a lot of work. Fili- well, Fili's easier to manage, but Kili... he's too reckless for his own good."

"Hey!"

It came from the bushes a few metres to Fili's right. It wasn't Dis, or Thorin, who said it. It was Kili. Fili smacked a palm to his head. He had blown his cover!  
>"What was that?" asked Dis.<p>

"It sounded like... _Kili..." _Thorin said, and Fili heard him stand up.

"Uh... _hoot hoot... hoooot..._"

Fili made a mental note to teach Kili what an owl sounded like.

"Whoever it is is making owl noises," Dis muttered, standing up as well.

"_HOOT! HOOT!" _Kili began yelling shrilly. Fili had half a mind to yell at him to shut him up, but that wouldn't help.

"That's Kili alright," Dis muttered. Fili heard the tell-tale crackle of boots on sticks, walking towards the bushes, and-

"Gotcha!" Thorin leant over the foliage and picked Kili up.

Kili froze, eyes wide.

"Hoot."

"Where's Fili?"

"Asleep. At home. In bed. On top of pillows. Under sheets. On a mattress. You know."

Fili could practically hear Thorin roll his eyes. "One- you're a terrible liar. You always give it away. Two- there's no way you would have come here without him. So- I ask you again. Where is your brother?"

"I told you. At home."

Thorin laughed. "You're an awful liar, Kee, but you're loyal. I'll give you that. Dis- search the bushes. Fili ought to be here somewhere."

"No need," came Dis' voice from next to Fili.

Fili jumped- he didn't notice his mother was there. He tried to scramble away, but her hand was already clamped down on his arm.

"Not so fast."

She dragged him into the clearing, where Thorin was holding Kili in the air. Kili looked mildly annoyed.

"Now. Your Uncle and I were having a lovely night-time picnic in the woods, and we come across this? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Kili said.

"I just told you, Kee," Dis said in a slightly worried tone.

"Okay. Well then... let's be on our way..."

Dis rolled her eyes.

"We're not going anywhere until you explain."

Kili laughed nervously. "It's kind of a funny story..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Hey guys!**

**Thank you ****_sooooooo_**** much for your overwhelmingly positive response to the last chapter- you have no idea how happy it makes me reading your reviews! A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'd just like to address a few things from these reviews (sorry, by the way, if I've inserted the spaces incorrectly. As far as I know, doesn't allow usernames or emails in fics...) :**

**To Shade Slayer Princess 111: thank you so much- I'll definitely add that fic to the list!**

**To Carver Edlund the Last: Aw, thanks! Yes, I know it was a Harry Potter reference, but also a pun (****_well, _****get it?). Evidently, your idea was not terrible, because I loved it so much that I just had to use it! Thank you!**

**To Nuka: :)**

**To Charlotte of Sandydowns: Definitely! And yes, seventeen times- most of those times were me forcing all of my friends to watch it when they came over.**

**To Tari Oronra: :)**

**To H.G.: Definitely- and I love your chapter idea, but I may add a slight twist to it... thanks so much!**

**Please continue to review- it means so much to me! It honestly makes me feel like a can of fizzy drink that's been shaken up and is ready to explode! **

**A quick announcement...**

**So- this fic is almost 1 year and 10 months old! Because of this, it's been a while since I wrote the first chapters, so obviously, they weren't written as well as they could have been. At first, I didn't mind, but then I realised if people read this fic for the first time, those are the chapters they'll read and judge it on. Because of this, I've begun to update the early chapters- fixing grammar and spelling mistakes, adding additional insight and length, et cetera. So yeah. That's new.**

**Also- I just finished reading the book ****_Fangirl_**** by Rainbow Rowell. It's a great book- very cute! It's also pretty exciting because it's about fanfiction, and being a fangirl. I strongly recommend you read it if you haven't already!**

**So yeah- that's about it from me.**

**Have a great day!**

**- the Potterhead from Middle Earth :)**


	43. The Return

It had just begun as another normal night stroll for Kili. He quite liked getting outside, just being able to breathe the fresh air. He also liked being able to practice his sword fighting skills free of judgement from the others- even though they never let on, he knew they saw him as inferior. So he would practice, swinging his stick-sword around under the blanket of night, getting better and better as the nights wore on.

Yes- it was just another usual night stroll for Kili, so he was in no way expecting what he found.

He had just mastered a new move that involved swinging his sword over his head to strike any assailants behind him. It was awesome, and Kili almost _wanted _to be attacked, just so he could show that off.

He wondered over to the edge of the woods, but he wasn't game enough to go in. It was dark at night, and besides... there could be beasts in there. Beasts he was too tired to face. Oh well. Perhaps he'd have to fight them another day.

He turned to leave, but then-

A single noise escaped the darkness of the forest. It was feeble, yet it seemed close- as if it were a wounded animal, calling for Kili.

It sounded again, and this time, Kili recognised the call.

He dropped his sword, and dashed into the forest.

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><p>Fili woke up. It took him a second to realise what he had done- he had woken up. <em>He <em>had woken himself up. For the first time in a month, it had not been his younger brother who shook him from his sleep. At first, Fili was relieved, but that was soon overtaken by worry. Where was Kili? What had prevented him from waking him up? Was something wrong?

He rolled over in his bed to face his brother's bed. He could see Kili's shape, rising and falling. Fili smiled softly. The poor thing- he had probably been up late, most likely on one of his night-time wanderings. Perhaps he would let him sleep.

He got up, and dressed himself as silently as possible. He hadn't much practice at this, as he had never really needed to avoid waking Kili. In fact, now that he thought about it, Kili had never really slept longer than he. Something must be wrong. Perhaps he had a fever.

Fili crept over to the side of the bed, worry clouding his thoughts. The sheets had been pulled over Kili's head so he just looked like a shapeless lump. Fili tentatively stuck his hand under the covers to try and feel his brother's forehead for a fever.

Kili's forehead was not hot. Not at all. Instead, it was furry.

Fili yelped and sprung back, flicking the corner of the sheet away in the process. It revealed a small head, it's hair caramel and wiry. It appeared to have tiny little horns poking out of it's head.

The beast shifted, to reveal its face. It was sleeping, but Fili knew for sure who this creature was.

"Snuffy?"

"I see you found our visitor," Kili whispered as he walked into the room. He was carrying a tray laden with oats, towels and a jug of water.

"What's he doing back here? Last I recall, we set him free because you had some sort of epiphany about captivity. And yet... he's back."

"Yes, well, I hadn't planned on having him back, but I found him last night and I just had to help him." Kili set down his tray and walked over to the dormant goat. He had grown since last time.

"Why did you need to help him? He seems fine."

With a grim expression, Kili pulled back the sheet to reveal the rest of Snuffy's body. Fili gasped.

Along his stomach was a great gash. It didn't appear to be deep, just messy. Perhaps the poor goat had run into a warg. It was a miracle he'd escaped with his life. But as Fili listened to the ragged breaths of the little thing, he realised that maybe, Snuffy _hadn't _been so lucky.

"I think he's dying, Kee."

Kili shook his head, stroking the goat. "No. There's no such thing as dying, Fee. You're either alive, or you're dead. Nothing in between. Snuffy's not dead. He's alive. And that means we have a chance to save him."

Fili didn't want to be the one to shatter Kili's unbridled optimism. The poor kid- he was too naïve to know the truth. Not everyone on the brink of death could be brought back. Fili had known many good men that had gone to war with Thorin and not returned. They were some of the hardiest dwarves he knew of. If they couldn't survive, how could this feeble goat?

But Fili didn't mention this to Kili. Kili would have to learn those lessons by himself. In the meantime, Fili decided to entertain his brother's naïve fantasy.

"Okay, Kee. Now tell me- where do we begin?"

Kili's face brightened, but only marginally. "I would have gone to Thorin instantly, except I didn't want him to know about where I was last night. I planned to see him in the morning, but him and ma were summoned to a meeting before dawn. They'll be back in an hour or so, but in the meantime, we have to make do with what we have."

He turned and fetched the water jug and the towel. "This water just boiled. I say we use it to clean the wound."

Fili watched with fascination as Kili, usually so bold and careless, dipped the towel in the boiling water and begun to dab at the wound. The goat woke, bleating in surprise but too drained to resist.

"Here-" Fili took the towel from Kili, and begun dabbing gentler, cleaning away the blood matted into Snuffy's fur. Kili stroked Snuffy's head and began comforting him, shushing him as he kept an eye on Fili's work.

Once all the dried blood was gone, all that was left was the wound itself. Fili's initial suspicions were correct- it wasn't too deep- but the sheer size of the wound, plus the location, seemed to have drained all of Snuffy's energy. Infection also appeared to have set in.

The goat was squirming in discomfort as Fili took a closer look at the wound. It should have made him feel sick, seeing broken skin and gashed flesh, but he really wasn't that fussed. He knew somebody had to check the wound, and it may as well be him. There was no use in pretending otherwise.

"What do you think?" Kili asked.

"I think we're going to need Thorin and ma's expertise for this one, Kee."

"So it's bad?"

"Well... the cut's not too deep, but there's infection. I reckon the poor guy has had this for at least a few days."

"Do you think it's hurting him?" Kili asked, his brown eyes wide with worry.

Fili hesitated. "If it is, we'll end his pain soon."

So the brothers waited, occasionally applying the warm towel to the goat, and feeding him oats. Neither said much.

Kili was staying silent out of nerves. What if Snuffy died? He couldn't let that happen. He could never let that happen. Snuffy had been such a minuscule part of his life, true, but watching creatures of any description suffer brought grief to Kili. Watching them _die_... well, that'd be a whole new sensation. He didn't want Snuffy to die. He wanted to focus all of his energy of fixing Snuffy. And so he did not speak, for fear of being distracted.

Fili didn't speak because he didn't know what to say. What _do _you say when you're pretending everything's better than it is? He was an honest dwarf, and could not stand lying to his brother. He knew Snuffy stood little chance- he was just a small goat, and this was a big wound. Letting Kili believe otherwise felt wrong to him, but he knew it would be even more wrong to crumble his illusions. So he didn't say anything, because he didn't want to make anything worse.

When Dis and Thorin finally arrived home, they had barely made it through the front door before Kili jumped at them. He landed just short of his mother's feet, skidding to a halt at the last second.

"Kee! Slow down, for Aulë's sake!" Dis said, jumping slightly.

"What's wrong?" Thorin asked, seeing how frantic Kili was.

"We need help! He's hurt!" Kili wailed, grabbing their hands and towing them towards the bedroom.

"He's hurt?" Dis asked, her mind still processing the question.

"Fili!" Thorin yelled, and dropped Kili's hand to run into the room. His heart was racing- Fili was hurt. He had left and Fili was hurt. He'd never forgive himself if his absence led to his nephews' injury.

When he burst through the door to see Fili safe (albeit startled), Thorin breathed easily once more. Fili was okay. The rush of relief put a stupid smile on his face as he caught his breath.

He heard Dis and Kili's footsteps approaching the door.

"It's okay, Dis- Fili's safe."

"Oh, thank- what on earth?"

Dis froze, a look of horror on her face.

Fili looked up at the two adults- Dis had the expected response (shock, mild disgust) at seeing a bloody goat on her son's bed. Thorin, however, was staring at Fili with a proud and relieved smile.

It almost make Fili want to smile back.

Snuffy bleated, as if to remind him that he was in immense pain. It caught Thorin's attention, too, and startled the dwarven King.

"What in Aulë's name is this?"

"Snuffy," Kili explained. "He's hurt."

"No kidding, Kee... he looks half dead." Dis muttered, walking over to inspect the goat.

"No! He's not dead yet! And I say, while he's still alive, we're not allowed to give up! This goat- he has been here for me, every day of my life! Do you know the dedication that takes? He has shown me love and care, every day, for my entire life! He has-"

"Kee," Fili whispered, "you met him once, two years ago."

"That's not important! What's important is that I love him, and I'm not about to let him die!"

Fili nodded. Kili had always exaggerated his relationships with people- he could have just met someone, and he would be convinced they were destined to be together- but he grew out of it soon enough. Until then, there was no point in arguing.

"Alright then," Thorin said, and in his majestic, booming voice he declared, "let's save Stubby!"

"Snuffy," Fili said.

"Let's save Snuffy!" He said, winking at Fili.

And so they got to work. Thorin prepared a poultice to reduce the infection, and stayed by Snuffy's side whilst he applied it, and well into the night afterwords. Kili worked tirelessly to create charms to give Snuffy luck. Fili would routinely change the blankets for Snuffy. And Dis was given the awful job of bandaging Snuffy's wound when it had been cleaned and the inflammation had died down.

At first, it brought them together. The Durins put every waking hour they had into saving this goat. Who knew why- maybe it was for Kili's sake. Maybe it was for Snuffy's. But whatever it was, they banded together, and before long, Snuffy's wounds were healing over and he was regaining his strength.

But after a while, the mood had changed. Thorin was sick of the goat's incessant bleating, and begun to hate the hours he spent by it's bedside. Dis, understandably, didn't enjoy her job of changing the bandages. Fili was sick of the stench it left, and having to clean up after it. But they all held on, because they knew it was what Kili wanted them to do.

In reality, Kili was beginning to get sick of Snuffy too. He didn't want to share his bed anymore. He didn't like having to sleep with Fili. And the worst part was, it seemed that everyone else expected him to be grateful for their effort. Of course he was- he had always been grateful- but he had a sneaking suspicion they were doing this less for Snuffy, and more for him.

It was times like this that Kili remembered why he had set Snuffy free in the first place.

Once Snuffy had regained his footing and begun to walk again, Dis removed the final bandage (underneath which a great scab had begun to form), gave him some oats and sent him on his way. Kili had draped a charm around his neck, to ensure his safety, but he too was glad to see Snuffy go. The goat had indeed been a lot of work.

"Bye!" Fili called, as Snuffy hobbled off into the woods from whence he came.

"I hope he's alright," Thorin muttered.

"He'll be fine. Our care was impeccable." Dis muttered, shooing away the idea of Snuffy's return.

"Thanks for helping, guys," Kili said with a smile. An earnest smile, too- he really meant it. Of course he was thankful for their help.

"It's alright, Kee- it wasn't too hard," Fili replied, and Dis groaned. "Besides- you suffered most of all."

"Really?" Kili asked, and Dis and Thorin looked just as surprised. "How?"

"Because there was a bloody goat lying in your bed for four days! Good luck getting to sleep tonight!"

And with a laugh, Fili scampered off into the house, his brother hot on his trail.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys!<strong>

**So- after yet another promise of updating soon, I've waited a month or so to do it. Sorry- exams and such.**

**By the way- this was inspired by both H.G's and Charlotte of Sandydowns' suggestions. I really love getting ideas from you guys! Thank you all so much!**

**Speaking of reviews, I'd like to thank you all for your reviews since last time (some of them weren't for the most recent fic, but I still really appreciate them)!**

**To address them all:**

**Lol Catz Lola: Yes, it was a reference to the Hobbit! Thanks for catching it!**

**Carver Edlund the Last: Aw, thank you! It was so nice of you to give me the suggestion!**

**H.G: No problem! Thank you!**

**Miyonz Mae: Sure! I'll take it into account in the future.**

**Mili: Thanks for the suggestion!**

**So yet again- I really appreciate all reviews! You guys are the best!**

**Also- in case you didn't pick up on it, that thing about Kili getting overly attached to Snuffy was the only possible explanation I had for Movie!Kili and Tauriel falling 'desperately in love' after only having met two days earlier (two days! Romeo and Juliet's romance lasted longer, for goodness' sake). So yeah- I just assumed it was in Kili's personality to quickly fall for whoever showed him kindness. There's no other way that relationship was feasible.**

**That's right, folks- there's a feasibility issue with a story about hobbits, dwarves, elves and orcs. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**Have a wonderful day!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	44. The Dream (4)

Thorin blinked slowly, trying to take in his surroundings.

It was cold, and still, and dark. The surface underneath his cheek felt like marble- smooth and flat. Pushing himself off the ground, he was able to take in all that he saw- which was nothing. He was stranded in darkness. Nevertheless, he fumbled around, determined to find an exit.

_It has to be a dream_, he reasoned, _for there's no other explanation as to how I could have gotten here_.

Finally, his searching palms met a wall, and he felt his was along until the wall became a door.

Thorin took a deep breath, and swung it open, to reveal-

Dis. And Frerin. Oh, _Frerin_. The two were laughing, their likeness almost impossible to ignore- they had the same hair, and the same nose. Thorin smiled. How could he not? It had been so long, too long, since he last saw his brother well. Since he last saw his brother alive.

"Thorin!" Called Dis, waving at him. She looked younger- her skin was not aged, and her hair and beard contained no streaks of grey.

Frerin turned too, his crooked smile warming up Thorin's heart. He hadn't realised how much he missed his brother until now.

"Frerin! Dis!" He waved back, and to his surprise, when he lifted his hand it was unmarred and youthful again.

_Before_, he thought. _Before Frerin and I went off. Before Frerin didn't come back. We're all in the before_.

The two seemed to be picnicking, so Thorin joined in, picking up the food, and trying to eat it, before realising-

"This food isn't real."

"What?"

"The food- it's not real," Thorin said, waving his hand through the picnic spread and meeting no resistance. It all appeared perfect, but once he went to touch it, his hand slipped through it like water.

"Nonsense, Thorin," Frerin said, picking up an apple and munching on it thoughtfully.

Thorin tried again, to no avail. "The food's not real."

"If that's so, how are we eating it?" Asked Dis, chewing on a leg of ham.

Thorin frowned, and once more reached for a piece of food, only to once more find himself incapable of grabbing it.

"What?" Thorin recoiled his hand slightly, and it brushed Frerin's shoulder-

Or at least, it should have.

Thorin's hand passed through his brother's body like it was made of mist.

"Frerin?"

"What's wrong?"

"Frerin- you're not here... what's going on?"

"Nothing... is something wrong?" He asked, his happy face creasing in concern.

"Thorin-" Dis reached out to him, but her hand passed through his shoulder like Thorin's had.

"Dis, what's going on?" He asked, frantically trying to grab hold of something- to grab hold of his siblings. "Why are you guys... not here? Not solid?"

Frerin's smile slipped from his face. "Thorin..."

"What's happening? Dis? Frerin? What's wrong with you?"

Dis shook her head slowly. "It's not us, Thorin... it's you..."

As soon as she uttered the words, the scene around him began to fade away, disappearing as he desperately grabbed for his brother and sister.

"Frerin... Dis... _Frerin... _don't go, don't go!"

Frerin spoke once more before he disappeared entirely- "You're fading, Thorin..."

And the room disappeared.

Now, Thorin was alone, surrounded by blinding white. His ears were ringing. He hated to admit it- he really did- but he felt the sting of tears rising to his eyes.

He had spent so many nights replaying the horror of seeing his brother die before his eyes. He had cried, unashamedly, for hours after having to come home without his brother by his side.

He had lost his brother, his only brother, in a battle. A battle he had dragged them to.

It was his fault. _His fault._

His mother had never forgiven him. She carried the grudge to her grave. He had killed Frerin. He had dragged him to his death.

Dis had been shellshocked, but she had stayed by his side. She loved Thorin, and Frerin's death only brought them closer. But Thorin has heard her- at night, when all else was quiet. He had heard the sobs for her brother, for her husband, for the fate of her people. He had heard the sobs of a broken woman.

Because that's what she was- broken. So was he. He was shattered irreparably. He had seen the deaths of his brother, his grandfather, his brother-in-law, and so many countless others. He had sentenced so many good people to their deaths.

Aüle, he was a murderer.

The world around him began to take shape again, and he wiped away his tears.

He was just doing what was needed of a king. There was no point in tears, or sadness.

He was a king.

He was a king.

"My King."

He blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light.

"My King," the voice repeated. It was a soft voice, one unknown to his ears. He looked around the room he was in- it was a small room, one previously unfamiliar to him, but one he knew well now.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, his head filling with the worry of the past. "Is Dis alright?"

"She's perfectly okay, sir. And so is her son."

The small dwarf woman smiled sweetly. She had been recommended as the best midwife in town, and Thorin would have no less for his sister.

"A son?"

"A healthy baby boy, sir. He has your eyes."

"I want to see him."

"Of course, sir."

The little midwife led Thorin into Dis' bedroom, gently guiding him towards the bed. He would have been perfectly capable of getting to the bed himself, but her presence made him calmer.

Dis was in the bed, her husband by her side, both looking fondly at a bundle in Dis' arms.

"Thorin-"

"Meet your nephew, Thorin." Dis said with a smile, holding out the bundle of cloth. "Meet Fili."

"Fili," he said gently, taking the bundle from her and cradling it gently. A pair of bright blue eyes stared up at him, blinking sleepily. His tiny breaths shook his fragile body.

Thorin was in love.

He wanted to hold this child, this angelic child, forever. He wanted to keep him close, to watch him grow. He wanted this boy, this beautiful boy, to stay by his side forever.

_Fili._

He leant over, and planted a gentle kiss on Fili's forehead. In his hands was the heir to the throne of Durin. In his hands was the future of his people.

And by Aüle, never had the future seemed so bright.

Thorin had never wanted a wife. He had never fancied staying at home, having a family, and he knew to leave a woman behind while he went off fighting would be cruel. No- he had never wanted to marry.

But he had always wanted a family.

He wanted children, to raise as his own, to share his adventures with. He wanted to watch them learn about the world, to see their faces brighten, to follow them through their own incredible lives. He wanted hope- hope for the future, a hope to cling on to.

And in his hands, his calloused hands, lay that hope. That hope that he craved.

Thorin smiled so widely, his eyes shut.

When he opened them, he was looking down at a different face.

The eyes were chocolate brown, and full of curiosity. The baby's face was awake, very much awake, but it's body couldn't do much more than move an arm. The little boy lifted an arm, and with his tiny hand, grabbed Thorin's beard.

Thorin smiled.

The child gave the beard a sharp yank.

He couldn't help but laugh, and the baby began smiling to,- smiling up at his uncle with adoration.

"What is his name?" asked Thorin.

"We haven't chosen yet," replied Dis, watching the two carefully.  
>"Kili," Thorin whispered. The baby smiled again, and blinked. "Kili."<p>

"Can I see?" asked a little voice.

Thorin looked down to see Fili, five years old, looking up in adoration. His sandy-blond hair was barely braided, and his tunic was dirty, but he still somehow looked angelic.

"Can I see it?"

"This is your baby brother, Fee," Thorin whispered, as he crouched down, still carefully holding Kili.

"What does it do?" Fili asked, staring at the baby.

"He's your brother. He'll be your best friend," Thorin said with a smile, and for once, he let himself remember. He let himself remember his childhood, playing games with Frerin, being Frerin's best friend, _loving _Frerin. He let himself remember all of the things he had tried to forget about his brother. All of the painful things.

Frerin had been his closest friend.

"My best friend?" Fili said, reaching out to touch Kili's head.

"Yes," Thorin said, feeling tears rise to his eyes. "And I want you to promise me something, Fee. I want you to promise me you will never let him go. I want you to promise that you'll always take care of him, and that you'll protect him. I want you to promise me to stay with him, for ever and ever. Do you promise me that?"

"I promise you, Uncle," Fili said, smiling. "I promise I will take care of him. Don't worry."

"Oh, Fee. I'm not worried," He said, and handed the baby to Fili. "I trust you."

Fili took his brother, holding him carefully. Baby Kili reached up and grabbed a hold of Fili's hair, but he didn't yank it. In fact, he didn't even tug it softly,

He just held it.

Fili smiled down at his little brother.

"I'm going to take care of you, okay? I promised Uncle. You're safe."

Thorin stood up, and looked over to Dis. She had tears in her eyes too. She knew what brotherhood meant to Thorin.

"They'll be excellent kings," he said. And Dis smiled.

They would be excellent kings. They would rule over Erebor one day- and in that moment, Thorin vowed to see it happen.

_This _was why he was king. _This _is what it was for. It was all for these boys- the future of Erebor. It was for his nephews, and their children, and their children after that. He was king because Erebor deserved a future, and never had Thorin wanted to give it one more than now.

Fili hugged his little brother, holding him tight.

"I'll never let you go."

And in that moment, that exact moment, Thorin knew he would do whatever it took to take back Erebor.

For his people. For his nephews. For the future.

He was King Under the Mountain.

And Erebor's future was his.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys!<strong>

**So- yet another dream chapter! This one is unlike the other ones, in that it's more memories than dreams, and it wasn't that funny (I didn't really think Thorin would have exciting dreams), but one of my favourite things about dream chapters is getting to explore the past, present and future of characters, and their psychology. I enjoy exploring personality traits, and why they're there, and I think that Thorin has one of the most interesting personalities of all (hence the deep and meaningful chapter).**

**Anyways, thank you so much for reading, and for your reviews! I really appreciate it!**

**As you may have noticed, tomorrow is the third birthday of the Chronicles (woohoo)! Keep an eye out for a special fic I plan to publish in commemoration! **

**Yet again- thank you ever so much!**

**- The Potterhead from Middle Earth**


	45. The Hobbit

The Durin brothers were excited.

As a matter of fact, excited was an understatement.

They were very, _very _excited.

They had gone on many adventures in their lives- through forests, through rivers, through town gardens- but most of them had been products of the dwarves' imagination. All of the dragons they battled, the treasures they found, the stories they wove- all figments of two over-active imaginations.

Never in their life had they gone on a _real _adventure before.

Dis hadn't wanted them to go, of course. She never wanted them to go _anywhere _with Thorin any more- she was too worried about them getting hurt.

It wasn't as if they were poor at defending themselves. They were in fact quite good at it. Fili was a master of every type of blade imaginable, and Kili's shooting was so accurate he could hit a target a mile away. The brothers had gotten themselves quite a name in the dwarven community- and the human one, too.

When asked how they had gotten so good, their answer was simply practice. Practice from a young age.

Fili would regale the story of how he hospitalised his brother whilst knife-throwing, and Kili would talk about how he won his first- of many- archery competitions by thinking of his uncle. They would entertain visitors with how they used to duel at every opportunity, parrying with each other until they tired. They would sometimes even get up on the tables and demonstrate, filled with the reckless energy of youth as they fought.

They had gotten better, that was for sure. Now, neither made silly mistakes. Their aim was perfect, their strength and force impeccable. The village regarded the two as some of the best warriors around.

And yet, Dis was worried. She knew how dangerous the journey would be, and she wasn't sure if her sons could handle it. They weren't exactly the most mature dwarves.

They still quarrelled, and still had active imaginations. They didn't play games as much any more, but every now and then, they'd be swept away with excitement and end up running through the forest, caught in the middle of an epic adventure.

It was true that their penchant for adventures had not waned, but a lot more than that had changed over the years. Fili was now 82 years old, and Kili was 77. They were definitely young by dwarvish standards, but they were still among Thorin's favourite soldiers.

Fili's sandy blond hair had matured into a dusty brown colour, and he had grown a mustache thick enough for him to braid. Kili, too, had grown facial hair, but it wasn't much- nevertheless, Kili was proud of his scant beard. His features had sharpened over the years, which had been attracting the attention of many of the young human women. Kili never reciprocated their affection- they were much too tall, and there just wasn't enough facial hair for him.

Fili was also attracting attention from the young women, but he gave them more notice than his brother. He would often practice his sword-throwing nearby the local tavern, and would go for runs around the village. It was all fun and games for Fili, but when Kili thought someone was getting too close to his brother, he would tell them stories of how Fili used to have a crush on a girl- and when it went downhill, how he sent that girl's boyfriend to hospital. After that, most women let Fili be- they didn't really want to mess with him.

Fili didn't mind. It was all a game to him. The only thing he really took seriously was his training. He would practice sword-throwing for an hour each day, and then run and exercise for an extra hour. Kili would sometimes join him, but his approach to training was a lot more laid-back. He preferred the solitary approach- slipping off to the woods every now and then to shoot at targets, and even hunt a little.

Dis wasn't all that happy with her sons' new warrior regimes, but Thorin was. Out of his remaining men, none were as young and fit as the brothers. He wanted them to be safe, more than anything, but he also knew that they were his best soldiers.

He had aged too- there was more grey in his hair, and his face was more weathered. In spite of that, he was still an excellent fighter. He spent his every waking hour trying to find a way to reclaim his homeland-

And finally, he had found it.

The brothers didn't know much about it- just that with the support of the dwarves from the Iron Hills, they'd have an army fit to take on Erebor.

And Thorin wanted them to be there, at the front of the battle- right there with him.

Fili and Kili were indeed very_, very_ excited.

Dis had cried when they left. She hadn't aged as well as Thorin- her kind face was tired. Tired of worrying about her sons as they left on more and more dangerous missions. This one, however, was going to be the longest, and the most perilous.

"I don't want them to go, Thorin," she had whispered, the morning they were set to leave. "I want my boys to be safe. I want them back."

"I'll bring them home, Dis. I'll keep them safe," Thorin had whispered back, holding her tight.

He did not want to put them at risk, but he knew it was what had to be done. Besides- he _would _bring them back. He had kept them safe his entire life. Whether it was saving them from rushing rapids, or conquering his own fears, he had given his all to keep them alive.

And he wasn't going to stop now.

Dis had taken the boys, and held their hands, tears blossoming in her eyes. "You'll come home. Both of you. Do you promise?"

"I promise, ma," Fili said with a gentle smile. "I'll take care of Kili."

"I'm fine- I don't need that, Fili. I can take care of myself. I promise we'll be back."

"You be careful- especially you, Kili. You're too reckless for your own good."

"Me? I'm not reckless, ma," Kili laughed, hugging his mother a little tighter.

"Yes, you are. Here-" she reached into her pocket and pulled out a stone- a token. "I'll be expecting this back, young man. Don't you lose it."

"If you want it back, just keep it- you don't need a token to make sure I come back."

"I want you to keep it- to remind you that I need you to come home. To remind you not to be too reckless. Okay?"

Kili wanted to argue, but he could see his mother was getting choked up. "Okay, ma."

"Stick together, alright? Don't stray too far from your uncle- and keep hydrated, okay? Don't get sick- oh, and-"

"Ma- we'll be fine!" Kili said, patting his mother on the arm.

"He's right," Fili said with a smile, but leaned in to whisper, "I'll keep an eye on him for you- don't worry."

And so, they found themselves on the road. Thorin had heard something about Bree, something that he wouldn't tell anyone else, but they had headed there to stay a few nights. Thorin had run into a wizard, Gandalf, who had directed them to the Shire to find a hobbit- one Mr. Baggins. The brothers had rested for a few days in Bree as Thorin journeyed to the Iron Hills, and then they had left to find this hobbit- this burglar.

The dwarves still loyal to Thorin had all been told to meet at this hobbit's house, and so Fili and Kili were expecting company when they got there, but for the time being, it was just them.

The Shire was unlike anywhere they had ever been. Everyone was tiny, even smaller than them, and they all had jolly faces and big feet. The hobbits weren't as rowdy as dwarves, not by a long shot, and facial hair was sparse in the community. For Fili and Kili, it was a whole new world.

They walked the country roads, getting strange looks from passing hobbits, but not caring. They were on an adventure- a real one!- and no judgmental hobbit was going to ruin that. To entertain themselves, they talked of stories from when they were younger.

"Do you remember Snuffy?" Kili asked as they passed a herd of goats. "I wonder how Snuffy is. Do you think he would still remember me?"

"I'm not sure- maybe Snuffy has a family. A herd of little Snuffys."

"Ooh- perhaps Snuffy is going on an adventure of his own! To reclaim _his _homeland!"

"And where is his homeland, may I ask?"

"Uh... the Goat-ly mountain."

"But of course," Fili laughed, rolling his eyes. "That sounds just as plausible as a goat being your best friend."

"Leave me alone! I was young. As were you- and you did silly things too."

"Like what?"

"Uh- you braided your hair to Thorin."

"Kili, that was you."

"Oh... well, you ate berries that made you hallucinate."

"Also you."

"Fine- I know what you did that was silly. You stuck by me through everything, even though I was an idiot."

Fili laughed. "Of course- how stupid was I for not letting you get yourself killed. I should have let you rot in jail, or-"

"That's right! You broke me out of jail, didn't you?"

"Of course! I couldn't let you sit around in jail when there were adventures to be had."

"Ah, I miss our adventures. Even the mundane was exciting."

"What? I'm sorry, I don't recall any of our childhood being anything _but _exciting!"

Kili rolled his eyes, and playfully punched his brother. "You know what I mean. We thought that getting lost in the woods was the most exciting escapade of all. We thought stitching a coat back together was a delightful romp-"

"If I recall correctly, I didn't find that fun at all."

"The point is, we were able to make something out of... well, nothing."

Fili nodded, but didn't say anything. They walked on in silence for a bit, taking in the fresh country air.

"Do you ever miss that?" asked Kili.

"Miss what?"  
>"How exciting everything was back then. Before the fighting, and the 'duty to our people', and the missions?"<p>

Fili nodded, and looked at the dirt path beneath their feet. "All of the time."

"Do you think it'll ever be like that again?" Kili asked, looking up at the sky. It was getting dark now, but they only had a few more minutes to walk.

"I think so," Fili said, glancing at his brother.

"When?"

"When all of this is over. When we're in Erebor. We'll run through those grand halls Thorin's always telling us about, and we'll play in the jewels, and we'll be little kids again. We'll have the childhood we would have had without Smaug."

Kili smiled, and skipped a little to avoid stepping in a puddle. "You think so?"

"Yeah- and the best part is, no one can judge us, because we'll _really _be the heirs to the throne."

Kili smiled, broader this time, and turned to his brother. "We'll be princes, Fili! We'll have crowns, and gold, and food galore-"

"And we'll get statues dedicated to us, and people will love us-"

"And Thorin will be king, and ma will have her own throne-"

"And it'll be the two of us against the world," Fili finished with a grin so maniacal it matched his brother's.

"Yeah," said Kili breathily. "Us against the world."

"It always has been, hasn't it? Us in our own little world, telling our own little tales, fighting our own little battles. It's always been us."

"What are you saying? That when all this is done-"

"Everything will be like before," Fili whispered, "like before, but _real _this time."

"Like before, but real? I'm not sure if I want all of our childhood imaginings to be real," laughed Kili, as they began to climb the little hill the house was supposedly at the top of. "Imagine if all of the monsters we created were real. Imagine if the dragons we fought were real. Imagine if the stories we told... were all true..."

Kili trailed off as they continued the climb, passing the colourful round doors. They were unlike anything either brother had ever seen before, and yet instead of excitement, both felt a new sensation. It was gnawing, and consuming, and it was eating them both up.

Neither wanted to tell the other.

"I don't want them to be true," Kili said suddenly. "I don't want these stories to be true."

Fili stopped, a few steps short of the gate they were looking for. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to slay dragons. I don't want to fight monsters. I'm... I'm..."

"Afraid?"

"Durins are never afraid," whispered Kili, shaking his head. In truth, he was afraid, but he couldn't be, wouldn't be-

"I am," admitted Fili. "I am afraid, and I'm a Durin. It's okay to be afraid of monsters, remember? It's okay to be afraid of dragons."

"But this isn't just a dragon, Fili. It's orcs. And goblins, and wargs, and elves, and men- it's so much more than just one little thing. One little monster. I thought it would be easier to face it, but it's not. I don't want to leave ma, I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to die, Fee."

_Fee. _Kili hadn't called his brother that in years.

"You want to go home?"

Kili nodded, ever so slightly, a look of fear plastered on his face.

This was Kili. This was Fili's brother, the small, scared dwarf he had grown up protecting. This was the dwarf he hadn't seen in years- he had been hidden behind athleticism and fake bravado.

This was the dwarf Dis was afraid of losing, the dwarf Dis was afraid would die by the newer Kili's reckless hand.

Fili walked back to Kili, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I want to go home too. But... but uncle Thorin says that Erebor is going to be our home, and even if we don't want it, he sure does. He's done so much for us. We owe him this. It's okay to be scared... I'm scared too. And you know what? When you were born, I promised Thorin I'd look after you. I promised ma I'd bring you home safely. But sometimes, I want someone to protect me, too."

And there it was. His most guarded secret. He wanted protection too.

Kili looked back at his brother, his Fee. This was the Fee that he missed- the honest one, the vulnerable one. Not the perfect, overprotective Fili that Dis and Thorin both wanted.

This was his Fee.

The one he had to protect.

"I'll look after you, Fee. I promise. I'll never let you get hurt."

"Never?"

"Never."

They stared at each other, letting broken smiles work their way back to them.

"Should we knock, then?"  
>"I suppose- I mean, it's just another adventure, right?"<p>

"Yeah."

They stepped up to the doormat, and Fili knocked on the door.

"So- who is this Mr Boggins again?" Kili asked.

"Boggins? I thought it was Baggins," Fili said.

"I'm pretty sure it was Boggins," muttered Kili, as footsteps approached the door.

"No, Kee, I think it was-"

The door swung open to reveal a small, flustered looking man dressed in a patchy old robe. His hair was curly and short, and right now it was hanging about his head messily. He had a grumpy, exasperated expression.

Kili looked him and down, confused at this frazzled little man.

Fili smirked- so this was to be their burglar? Perhaps the adventure would be cut short after all, once Thorin saw him.

But for the time being, they were on an adventure. Home was behind, and the world was ahead.

"Fili,"

"And Kili,"

"At your service."

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys!<strong>

**Today, the Fili and Kili Chronicles turns 3 years old! **

**Also, today is the day the Chronicles end.**

**I want to thank you so much for all of the wonderful support you have given me and this story- every read, review, follow and favourite has made me so incredibly happy. I hope that this story has given you the same joy.**

**I will definitely still be writing fics in the future, and there will most likely more Fili & Kili, but this is where the Chronicles draw to a close. **

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with it this long- 45 chapters is a lot, I know, but hopefully they all brought a smile to your face.**

**I'd still love reviews, especially ones about what you thought of the Chronicles as a whole, as they'll help me with future fics.**

**Have I said thank you too many times?**

**I don't think so.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you.**

**This has been a wonderful experience for me, and you guys have made it happen.**

**Goodbye to you for the last time (from this fic)**

**Love from, the Potterhead from Middle Earth.**


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